Search By Moonlight
by starlily11
Summary: Seiya and Serena have a flawless, perfect love...they are meant to be. But that all changes in one night. Seiya leaves, and Serena is devastated. Then, a handsome man with a dark secret becomes interested in her, and Seiya must save her from a dark fate.
1. Prologue

**Search By Moonlight**

**Disclaimer: **I can't believe I still have to say this even though I've already said it a million times…I don't own Sailor Moon, all characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi…etc., etc., etc.

**AN: **You are never going to believe this one…I am actually making this extremely AU.

**Prologue: By the Light of the Moon**

The moonlight shone softly down upon the small town of Williamsburg, Virginia. It was a Friday night, a celebrated time among teenagers. Several young couples roamed the night, but our story is about one couple in particular. The two stood outside the movie theater, trying to choose between horror or romantic comedy. Naturally, the male was going for horror; he wanted the excuse to hold on to his girl. The girl wanted the romantic comedy; horror movies terrified her.

The two made an eye-catching couple. The girl was petite and delicate, a celestial beauty with fair skin, golden hair, and blue eyes. Her attention was on a handsome young man with long, thick, shiny raven-black hair and sapphire blue eyes. He was tall, well-built, and muscular, with a pronounced six-pack and firm, well-toned biceps and triceps. The girl looked up at him sweetly, appealing to his better nature.

"Seiya, please?" she begged. "I didn't sleep for days last time…that movie scared me to death!"

Seiya thought for a moment. He didn't want her to be terrified; he just wanted to have her wrap her arms around him. But he also didn't want to get stuck watching a chick flick. The dark-haired boy ran a hand through his hair, feeling slightly lost. He always did that. As a result, his hair always had a slightly disheveled appearance to it. Finally, his desire to please his girlfriend won out. With an inner martyred sigh, he smiled down at her. "All right, baby. No horror movies tonight."

His blonde goddess squealed and threw her arms around him, and he knew he'd made the right choice. For her, he could sit through a romantic comedy…all he needed to do was focus on the golden-haired beauty who held his heart, and he would be fine. With a smile, he wrapped and arm about her waist, and they approached the ticket booth together. The guy who worked there was on a first-name basis with them. His name was Andrew.

"So, what'll it be tonight, Seiya?" he asked. "Another horror movie, or did Serena finally convince you to agree to a romantic comedy?"

Seiya grinned, and smiled down at Serena. "I think we'll go with '_A Night to Remember_'," he replied,

"Looks like you finally won, Serena," Andrew sighed. "Don't go doing this all the time, or I won't have anyone to discuss the scary stuff with."

Serena laughed. "I won't," she promised, and they walked in.

Once they'd gotten their popcorn and sat down, Seiya discovered that pleasing his blonde goddess could be extremely rewarding; she leaned over, and gave him a kiss that practically blew his mind. "Careful, Odango," he said, using his pet name for her, meaning 'Dumpling'. "You keep kissing me like that, I won't be able to drive us home."

"Just my way of telling you I love you," she replied innocently.

Seiya smiled softly, giving Serena the beautiful, tender smile that he only gave to her. The movie started, but he kept his eyes on the beauty beside him. He would never let her go.

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Later, as they walked out, Serena got a good look at the man she loved more than life. What she saw worried her. Seiya was pale. He was fair-skinned anyway, but his skin usually glowed with health and vibrancy. Now, he was almost as white as a sheet, and he was sweating a little, despite the mild coolness of the night. His blue eyes were slightly unfocused, and it seemed as though much of his usual strength and energy had burned out.

"Seiya, are you okay?" she asked.

Seiya gave her a faint smile. "I'm fine," he replied. "Just a little queasy…too much popcorn, you know?"

Serena thought for a minute, trying to recall if this was true. They both had huge appetites…but Seiya's appetite had seemed to go down these past few days. She looked at the love of her life with concern. Was he seriously ill? She hoped not…she didn't know what she'd do if anything happened to him. She took his hand. "You don't look too good…should I call Taiki and ask him to come get you?" Taiki was Seiya's oldest brother. Yaten was his second older brother, and Kakyuu was their older sister.

"No!" Seiya practically shouted.

Serena jumped, startled by his tone.

Seiya softened his voice. "No…I'm all right, Odango. Really." He cringed as he remembered the last time he'd been sick; Taiki was the future doctor in the family, and God help you if you got sick when he was around. He fussed almost like a mother hen. Every time someone in the family so much as sneezed around him, all hell broke loose. Seiya knew his brother meant well, but he _really_ didn't want Taiki to know about this. Taiki was a worry-wart. He could tell that Serena wasn't convinced, and he kissed her gently. "I promise you, I'm fine."

"Call me tomorrow," she ordered.

"I will," he assured her.

With one last look at him, Serena climbed into the passenger seat of his car. Seiya, ever the gentleman, had opened the door for her, as he always did. Once she was safely in, he closed it, and drove her home.

As he drove home to join the rest of his family, Seiya felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Thanking his lucky stars that the road was clear and that this hadn't started when Serena was in the car, he pulled over. He rested his head on the steering wheel and waited for it to pass. It didn't. Instead, it grew worse, and he found himself outside of the car without really remembering doing so. He felt waves of nausea rolling in his stomach. 'What's happening to me?' he thought. 'I should've called Taiki…Serena was right…' Pain crashed down on him, and his last conscious thought was, "I need to call Serena tomorrow…'

As the moon shone down on his still form, her silver light revealed that changes were coming. Seiya himself had changed, and nothing would ever be the same. Only Seiya could control where the road of his life would take him now. It would be his choice; he could follow the path that he was being pushed down, or he could fight destiny every step of the way, and win another, better outcome. Only time could tell.


	2. Chapter One: Where's Seiya?

**Search By Moonlight**

**Chapter One: Where's Seiya?**

**AN: **If you think I was evil last chapter, keep reading. It gets better…

Serena awakened that Saturday morning from a fitful sleep. She was worried about Seiya…he had looked horrible last night. She wished that she'd insisted on calling Taiki. What if he'd had a wreck? He could be lying at the side of a country road somewhere, hurt and cold…maybe even dead. The blonde shook her head to clear those thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to think about that. It was far too painful.

As she started getting dressed, she heard the phone ring. Her little brother Sammy answered it, listened a moment, and yelled, "SERENA! IT'S FOR YOU!"

Serena picked up immediately. Maybe it was Seiya. "Hello?"

"Serena, this is Taiki. Is Seiya with you?"

The blonde felt her heart freeze in her chest, and she had to struggle to calm the waves of fear that rose in her. "No, she answered faintly. "I thought he was with you." 'Oh, no…I _knew_ I should've called Taiki!' she thought in anguish.

"This is important; did Seiya seem…off to you in any way? Was he tired, or did he seem ill?"

"He looked a little pale when we left the theater, and his appetite seemed to be going down…oh, I hope he's okay!" she fretted. "I tried to get him to call you…"

"It's not your fault; I know how stubborn he can be."

"Did he come home at all last night?" she asked.

"No."

"Oh, God!" she whimpered.

"I need to call the police and file a missing persons report."

"You do that," she replied weakly.

"Listen to me, Serena. You need to remain calm. We _will_ find him."

Serena knew that Taiki was trying to reassure himself as well as her; she could hear the worry in his voice. "I know," she replied.

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Five hours later, there was still no sign of Seiya. They'd found his car, but not him. Serena held on to her cat, Luna. Luna didn't understand what was going on, exactly, but she knew her mistress was upset. She purred extra loud in an effort to comfort her. The blonde stroked her behind the ears, trying not to cry. She failed, and could not stop the tears from falling. Horrible images seared her imagination; images of Seiya hurt and bleeding, in the hands of a psychotic maniac…images of the police finding his mutilated body in a ditch somewhere.

Her four closest friends, Rae, Mina, Lita, and Amy, all came by to give her emotional and moral support. Mina and Amy were dating Yaten and Taiki, respectively. They understood how Serena was feeling, imagining their boyfriends in Seiya's place. They all tried to calm her fears, but nothing could keep her distracted for long. As far as she was concerned, she would not be all right until Seiya was in her arms again. The pain of not having him by her side was one that would not cease its moans and wails. In her mind, she cried, 'Seiya! Seiya, where are you?'

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By the light of the moon, a lone wolf tore through the wilderness, lost and running only on fear and adrenaline. The lonely beast was large and black, with long, shaggy fur. In its mind, only one memory was crystal clear; that of a beautiful, shining face, bathed in light and glowing with love. Nothing was more important than the protection of that bright light. That light could never be allowed to fade.


	3. Chapter Two: Child of the Moon

**Search By Moonlight**

**Chapter Two: Child of the Moon**

**AN: **If you guys don't understand what's happening by the end of this chapter, I don't know what to tell you.

Seiya ran through the trees, consumed by panic. His heart beat out two words; Serena…fear…Serena…fear…Serena…fear. What had happened to him? How had he gotten like this? As he ran, a thorn embedded itself in his paw. Yes, he now had paws instead of hands and feet. No part of him was remotely human anymore, except his mind. He was terrified…how had this happened? How could he change back? Oh, God…he hadn't called Serena! She was probably worried sick about him by now. If he ever got home, Kakyuu would throttle him…heck, so would Taiki and Yaten.

_Note: I think you've figured it out by now, but_ ++ _mean thought-speak/telepathy._

+Son, calm down,+ a voice told him. The order was not spoken out loud; rather, it resonated in his mind.

Seiya froze at the recognized voice. It couldn't be…his father had been missing for years. Kakyuu had been keeping the family together ever since their mother had died about five years ago. His father had disappeared, and his mother had been killed during a shoot-out on her way home from work. He hadn't expected to see or hear from his dad ever again.

+Dad?+

+Yes, son. You need to calm down. Use your nose…track my scent, and I'll explain everything.+

+How?+

+Sniff…you'll know.+

Seiya pressed his nose to the ground, sniffing. He could smell vegetation…God, how did he know what _plants_ smelled like? He could smell rabbits…yum…his human mind shied away from his wolfish instincts. Finally, he smelled a strong, powerful, calming presence. It was definitely his father. He ran in the direction of the scent. He came upon a clearing, and in the middle of it stood a large wolf with sleek black fur and a majestic air, like the one his father had possessed.

+Well done.+

+Dad…what's happened to me? Why am I like this?+

+Vampires are in town, Seiya.+

+Whaaaat? Those are just in horror movies! They aren't _real_!+

+If you can turn into a wolf, don't you think that perhaps you should consider that they are?+

+Oh, no…does this mean I'm a…a…a werewolf?"

"Exactly.+

+No! I can't be!+

+You can, and you are. Don't worry, though. You do not change every full moon, contrary to popular belief. Usually, you never undergo the change…unless vampires are in your territory.+

+Huh?+

+This is werewolf territory. It has been since the beginning. Now, it seems that vampires think that we no longer exist.+

+When did this happen?+

+Do you remember when I disappeared? That was when the first one came. Now another has come, forcing you to undergo the change as well.+

+Does this mean that Taiki, Yaten, and Kakyuu are werewolves, too?+

+No. You are the only one who inherited the werewolf gene. The werewolves in our family always have dark hair and blue eyes…that is how we can tell.+

+I'm _so_ lucky!+ Seiya snorted.

+I would have done anything to keep you from having to go through this.+

+Dad?+

+Yes, son?+

+Why did you leave? If you just change when vampires are around, can't you change back and live a normal life when you're not fighting them?+

+Once you undergo the change, you can control when you do so, but you have to keep a firm hold on your emotions. If you become too emotional…angry, scared…what have you, you change, and for a few minutes, you are nothing but an animal, with powerful primal instincts.+

+Oh, so if you and Mom had been arguing, and you'd gotten too angry, you could've gone all wolfy and hurt someone?+ This was getting worse by the minute.

+Yes…I didn't want to risk harming your mother or you, or your siblings.+

+Did Mom know about this?+

+No…it's a closely guarded secret.+

+This just gets better and better…+ Something struck Seiya. +Oh, no…Odango…+

"Who's 'Odango'?+

"Her name is actually Serena, but I call her Odango because of this hairstyle she wears. She's my girlfriend. She's not safe around me, is she?+

+No…you could try, but I would advise against it.+

Seiya's heart went cold as he realized what had happened. He was a werewolf, all because some stupid vampires had come onto werewolf territory…and the love of his life wasn't safe around him. He thought about what his father had told him, and swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn't bear the thought of harming her…he had to keep her safe. He had to keep her safe from him. But the only way he could do that was by leaving…and that would mean breaking her heart. To save his angel, he would have to hurt her.

+How do I change back?+ he asked quietly.

+You calm your emotions and clear your mind…then focus on becoming human again.+

+Okay.+ Seiya focused, and he regained his human form. He stood, and started to leave.

+Where are you going?+

+I have to do something really important. I'll be back.+

+Remember…control.+

+I'll remember.+

With a great amount of pain in his heart, Seiya left the forest, feeling like he would rather die than do what he was about to do. He knew it needed to be done, but it didn't make it any easier or make him feel less wretched. If only there was another way…if only he could do something about this…if only fate would let him alone. The raven-haired boy brushed away the tears in his eyes. He prayed to every god, goddess, deity, and entity that he'd ever heard of that somehow, someday, things would be all right again. He also prayed that his Odango would eventually find it in her heart to forgive him for the pain he was about to cause her. He would rather carve his heart out than do this, but at least this way, he could protect her. Her safety was the most important thing…he couldn't be selfish.


	4. Chapter Three: Broken

**Search By Moonlight**

**Chapter Three: Broken**

**AN:** He-he…this is fun!

Serena's parents were out, and her friends had left. Taiki had stopped by to make sure she was all right, but he'd left hours ago. The blonde was completely alone, and her heart was tearing itself apart. She'd used about three boxes of tissues, and she was halfway through her fourth. She hoped her mom would bring her some more. Luna lay curled up beside her on the sofa, fast asleep. 'Lucky cat,' Serena thought. 'You can just curl up in a sunny spot and all your worries melt away. You didn't endanger the love of your life by letting him drive home alone.' She let out another choked sob. A knock sounded on the door.

Sniffling but trying to regain her composure, she got up to answer it. When she opened the door, her breath caught. Seiya was in front of her, alive and well, and unharmed. He was dirty and looked exhausted, but he was safe. The blonde let out a sob, and tears of joy spilled from her eyes. She threw her arms around him, sobbing with relief. He was safe! Seiya was safe! His gentle arms encircled her for a brief moment, but then he gripped her shoulders, and Serena looked into his eyes.

Concern filled her as she saw the pain in his eyes. "What is it?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Odango…Serena…we have to talk."

"What about? God, I was so worried!"

Seiya lowered his eyes. This was going to kill him, but he had to. He had to protect her…this was for her own good. If he could get rid of the vampires, maybe he could explain it to her later. He gripped her shoulders, trying to steel himself to do what had to be done. But the look in her eyes when he said what needed to be said would be devastating. After a moment, he forced himself to wipe his face clean of all emotion, and prayed that his eyes wouldn't betray him. 'It's for the best,' he told himself. 'I have to let her go.'

"I've been doing some thinking. I…I think we need some space."

She gasped, and looked up at him with questioning eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I think we need some space," he repeated. "I think we're moving too fast…I think we should start seeing other people before we decide what we want. I just want to make sure that we know that we haven't limited ourselves." God, what was he saying? He wanted to smack himself as he watched the pain bloom in her eyes.

"Seiya, think about this!" she pleaded. "Something's happened, hasn't it? Someone did something to you, hurt you…I don't care what happened! I _love_ you! I know you don't mean what you're saying…you're tired, and you need to get some sleep…"

Seiya felt a stab of pain in his heart as he realized what he had to do. He'd tried to be as gentle as possible, but her belief in him was too strong. Drastic measures had to be taken. He released her shoulders, and forced himself to keep his face and eyes calm and expressionless. He somehow managed to keep his voice steady as he spoke the words that would surely kill them both. "I know you love me…but I don't love you. I thought I did, but I don't."

"You don't mean that," she whispered, tears in her eyes. She grabbed his arm. "You don't mean that!"

Her grip was tight; but he was strong. The raven-haired boy carefully pried her fingers off his arm. "I do," he said softly.

Pain filled her eyes, and tears spilled down her cheeks. Her voice trembled. "Get out," she said suddenly.

Seiya hesitated. His heart was winning, breaking his resolve. The argument between his heart and mind had become so fierce that it froze him in place. He wanted to take her into his arms, tell her everything, but he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't put her in danger. Even so, his feet wouldn't move, so undecided was he. Serena made the decision for him.

"GET OUT!" she screamed.

Seiya left then, since the order had been given. The sound of her sobs echoed in his ears, resonating through his mind. As soon as he was a safe distance away, the tears he'd been holding back broke loose. 'Odango, I'm so sorry,' he thought. 'But it's for your own good. I never wanted to hurt you…' A harsh sob tore its way out of his throat, and he took off running, not stopping until he was safely back in the wilderness. Once he was alone, he broke down and wept. He sensed that his father was near, but he didn't care. He was lost in the pain of heartbreak.

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Serena was on her knees sobbing when her parents came home. Her dad pulled her into his lap and held her as though she was a little girl again, softly telling her that everything was going to be okay. Serena disagreed. Nothing would be okay again. Ever. Seiya was gone, had left her. He had disappeared, and then come back and dumped her. He didn't want her. Her angel was gone. She buried her face in her father's shirt, sobbing even harder. Her mother joined her father, but no matter what they did, they couldn't comfort their grieving daughter.

Finally, the tears stopped, and Serena looked up into her father's face. Ken Tsukino felt a stab of fear as he looked into his daughter's eyes. Those cerulean blue eyes she had been blessed with were now midnight blue, darkened by pain. Even worse, the look in her eyes was one of brokenness. He could see the shattered pieces that had once formed her heart. He silently cursed the boy who was the reason for her heartbreak. He didn't know that he had left her, but he knew that his disappearance was putting her through unbearable agony. "Ilene," he said softly.

Ilene looked into her daughter's face, and saw the pain. She wrapped her arms around her child, and did the best she could to soothe this hurt. Unlike Ken, she could see that somehow, her daughter had been in touch with Seiya, and that he'd broken her heart. 'Oh, honey, I wish I could do something to heal this hurt,' she thought.

"I'm all right," Serena stated. Her voice was hollow, completely void of emotion. Silently, she walked upstairs, into her room, and closed the door. Ilene made a vow to check the knife inventory every night, and Ken wished he could erase his daughter's pain with a simple cookie like he had been able to do when she was a little girl.

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Matthias Kou watched his son break with a heavy heart. He wished he could do something to stop the pain. He wished he could free his son from the chains that bound him. Seiya's long, ebony hair had come undone, and shrouded his face as he wept. Silently, Matthias moved to his son's side, and placed a hand on his shoulder, offering silent comfort. Softly, he whispered, "You'll be able to be with her someday…there are only a few vampires…as soon as they're gone, we'll both be free."

"She'll hate me," Seiya whispered wretchedly. "I broke her heart…I told her the worst possible lie…"

"If she loves you, she'll forgive you in time. It may take time, but she will."

Seiya looked up at him, completely broken. "Do you honestly believe that?" he asked pleadingly.

"Yes."


	5. Chapter Four: The Pack

**Search By Moonlight**

**Chapter Four: The Pack**

**AN: **People will be howling at me for this one…please don't kill me…I'm my mother's only child, and if I die, my dad will lose the love of his life.

Eventually, Seiya managed to put an end to his tears, and forced himself to stand. He couldn't just sit around wishing things had been different…he had to change things on his own. The raven-haired boy phased, and, along with his father, prowled the woods. As they moved through the trees, Seiya learned that he and his father were not alone. His father was only one member of an entire pack of eight. Now, it would be nine. They had a secluded, extremely difficult to find hideout deep in the woods. The trees had become so wild that it was impossible not to get caught on something. Matthias managed to get through with little fuss, but Seiya's fur was so long that it got caught on twigs really easily.

After Seiya got caught on a tree limb for the thirtieth time in less than an hour, Matthias decided they had to stop. Both regained their human forms, and Matthias had to hide a smile, for the sight in front of him was comical. Seiya's hair was a mess; it was tangled beyond all belief, and several leaves and twigs had gotten caught in it. The raven-haired boy picked a small amount of the forest debris out, and tried to do something about it, but there was nothing to really be done. Seiya sighed…he knew what was coming, and he didn't like the idea. He tried to work out some of the snarls, but failed miserably.

"I'm going to have to cut it, aren't I?" he asked. He didn't look happy…he wasn't pleased. Seiya tried to push away the memories of Serena running her hands through his hair. He tried not to think about the times Serena had cradled his head in her lap, lightly smoothing the tangles out and kissing him tenderly…

Matthias sobered, knowing that his son was about to sink into memories again. He examined his son's hair, looking for some way out of it. The situation was hopeless; they'd still be here next week trying to sort the mess out. Something told him that Seiya would lose his patience with that plan quickly. "I'm afraid so," he answered.

Seiya made a face, but he somehow managed to keep from making any comments. "Just do it," he sighed. "I don't want to get caught on something again…just do it before I change my mind." He kept calm as his dad produced a switchblade, and tried not to think about what he was losing. He'd lost the love of his life, now he was losing what was quite possibly the last reminder of what he'd been before all this had begun. 'It's just hair,' he told himself. 'It'll grow back.' He gritted his teeth and shut out the sound of the blade cutting through the strands of his hair.

Mercifully, his dad finished quickly, and they phased back into their wolf forms. They made it the rest of the way without incident, and moved much more quickly now that Seiya wasn't getting caught on the vegetation. They got to the den quickly, and Seiya wondered how he was going to survive. All of the other werewolves looked tough…and most of them were bigger than him. He decided that he would tread carefully so he wouldn't get his face rearranged.

Matthias rapped his fist lightly on the wall, and all of them looked up. A guy who was about Seiya's age asked, "We got another one?"

"Yes, Sean. This is my son Seiya."

Sean sized him up, and Seiya looked him steadily in the eye. He wasn't going to let himself come across as a wuss. Finally, the other boy grinned, and clapped him on the back. "Nice to meet you, dude. Come on, I'll show you the ropes."

Seiya nodded, and followed Sean as he explained everything.

"Warning; you have to move fast when the food gets here. As werewolves, one of us can go through about five super-sized meals from any fast food place. As a group…you don't wanna know. We try our best, but sometimes, it's hard to get enough, since most of us are on missing posters, and if we were recognized…I bet you can guess what would happen."

Seiya considered this, and nodded his understanding.

"Another thing; some of the guys like to pick fights. No one's died…we heal pretty fast, but when it gets rough, anytime you get hurt it makes you feel like crap, and then there's the bets…we're always betting on who's going to lick who. Then, there's the vampires. You have to watch out for the bloodsuckers…they move faster than all get out, and if you aren't careful, you end up dead. We've been lucky this year, but in the past…it wasn't pretty."

"So…when do we hunt for the vampires?" Seiya asked. That was his main goal; the faster he got rid of the vampires, the sooner he could return to Serena and hold her again.

"We go in shifts. One group goes out one night, another goes out the next. It makes sure we get some sleep."

"Why don't we just find their hideout and drive them outside so they get fried by the sun?"

Sean gave him an odd look. "You watch too many movies. The only way to kill a vampire is to rip it apart and burn the pieces."

"Lovely," Seiya sighed. This was going to take longer than he'd thought.

"So, why're you so eager to go after the bloodsuckers? Do you want to die that badly, or did one of them do something to tick you off?"

"It's their fault I'm a werewolf…if they weren't here, I'd still have my life."

"What was your life like?"

"Slightly over-protective sister, two annoying older brothers, and the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Sounds sucky except for the last bit."

"Nah…Kakyuu means well, she just gets annoyed with me sometimes when I goof around too much. Taiki and Yaten are great for the most part, but they still push my buttons sometimes." Seiya closed his mouth after that, unable to bring himself to talk about Serena.

"And your girl?"

"She's beautiful…sweet, innocent, good…and I broke her heart."

Sean opened his mouth to ask another question, realized what had probably happened, and closed it. "Oh, dude…that's rough!"

Seiya nodded.

"I see why you're dying to get out there. You want to get back to her."

"When do I get out there?"

"I dunno. I need to ask Matthias. He's the boss around here. The alpha, I mean."

Seiya choked. His dad was the leader of the wolf pack?

Sean chuckled. "He didn't tell you that, did he?"

"Nope," Seiya gasped.

"You know how it is, Sean," Matthias called from another room. "We teach him the basics in defense and tracking, along with control, then he goes. No one gets turned loose untrained."

Sean grinned. "You heard the man. Training can take about a week to two months, depending on how fast or how slow you are. You'll probably start tonight."

Seiya hoped so.

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Two weeks later, Seiya was hunting vampires. He'd thrown himself into training and given it his all. He thought about Serena every time he felt an urge to slack off. He pictured the pain in her eyes, and his resolve hardened. He wanted to end that pain as quickly as possible. He was able to move quickly through the woods, partially because of his training, and partially because he didn't get caught on anything due to the fact that his hair was now only a good four inches long. The wolf in him wanted to run free, and give in to his wild side. Fortunately, his human mind was stronger, and he remained focused, sniffing the air for the foul stench of vampires.

After two hours, he caught a whiff of something…it smelled vile. Sean, the huge white wolf beside him, mentally gagged.

_Note: ++ mean thought-speak_

+Oh, God! That's a vampire, all right!+ Sean groaned.

+It smells vile,+ Seiya stated with disgust.

+We smell just as bad to them, remember, Sean?+ A boy named Derek reminded him. Derek was a medium-sized gray wolf with penetrating black eyes.

+They smell worse,+ Sean muttered. +We smell fine!+

+I agree,+ Derek conceded.

Seiya was getting annoyed. He wanted to kill a bloodsucker. +Guys, focus!+ he snapped irritably. The more vampires he took out, the faster he could get back to Serena.

+What's _his_ problem?+ Derek asked.

+He wants to kill all the bloodsuckers so he can get back to his girlfriend,+ Sean replied.

+Exactly, and if we don't get moving, that won't happen!+

+Cool it, dude. We're on it.+

The three wolves silently approached the source of the scent. As they got closer, Seiya stifled a mental groan. There wasn't just one bloodsucker; there were _four_. The intruders stood in a clearing, arguing quietly.

One, a tall, masculine-looking sandy blonde grumbled, "Why are we here again? This place reeks of werewolves!"

A tall, elegant woman with green-black hair and ruby eyes replied, "You remember why, Amara. We have to stop _him_ before it's too late!" Clearly, she couldn't bring herself to give the identity of whoever they were trying to stop.

"But, Trista, if we don't get out of this forest, we'll be werewolf food!"

Sean snickered, and Derek snorted. +No way I'd wanna eat one of them!+ he grumbled. +I'd break a tooth!+

"Amara, calm down." A petite, graceful woman with teal hair and ocean blue eyes placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "If we don't attack, we should be fine."

"No, we won't," a small girl piped up. She had shoulder-length black hair and dark purpled eyes.

"What do you mean, Hotaru?" inquired Trista.

"There're three werewolves not too far away, listening to our every word. One wants to kill us so badly I can smell it."

Seiya mentally cursed, and the other two tensed. The vampire called Amara was in front of them so fast that no one saw her coming. In one movement, she had Sean flying backwards into a tree. Derek lunged and bit, but he received the same treatment. She went for Seiya, but he was ready. He dodged, snarled, and lunged, sinking his teeth into her throat. The next moment, he was flying through the air. Confused, he looked. The teal-haired woman had come to Amara's aid.

"Thanks, Michelle," Amara said, rubbing her neck.

Sean came tearing in, and was on top of Michelle in an instant. Derek went for Amara. Seiya searched for the one called Trista, found her, and attacked. Just as he went in for the kill, his mind blanked out, and when his head cleared, all four vampires were gone.

+What the heck?+ Derek was confused, and very annoyed. +What just happened?+

+They used one of their tricks,+ Sean stated grimly. +These are some powerful bloodsuckers.+

Seiya didn't want to hear any more. He'd failed…badly. Every setback delayed his return to Serena's arms. He felt sick at the thought that he'd let them escape so easily. What if they decided to feed off of her? He let out a whine at the thought, distressed. Sean and Derek stopped talking and looked at him. Seiya stalked off, angry at himself and his lot. How long would he have to wait to return to her?


	6. Chapter Five: Heartache

**Search By Moonlight**

**Chapter Five: Heartache**

**AN: **Hmm…I'm still alive…even though I cut Seiya's hair and made the Outers vampires.

Serena lay listlessly on the bed, trying unsuccessfully to dull the pain that made it impossible for her to do anything but lie there weeping and remembering. Seiya didn't love her, and he wasn't going to come back. Ever. She'd seen the lack of emotion in his eyes, heard the measured calm in his voice. He didn't want her. She'd tried so hard to withstand it, for her parents' sake; she knew that it hurt them to see her like this. She just wanted to die. The blonde let out another sob as she once again replayed her last conversation with Seiya. 'Come on, Serena, you need to snap out of it!' she thought. 'You can't let this destroy you. Seiya's just a guy!' A great guy…the best guy a girl could hope for.

"…understand. Let me talk to her."

Serena looked up, and had to fight not to wince from the pain that tore at her heart when she saw Kakyuu standing there. "Hey," she managed. "How're you holding up?"

The red-haired girl smiled sadly. "I'm all right. We're all fine…considering the circumstances."

Serena nodded.

"Are _you_ all right? Your mom seems to think you're sinking into depression."

'You have no idea,' Serena thought. "It's just hard, not knowing if Seiya's safe…I shouldn't have left him alone."

"Don't blame yourself. We all know how stubborn he is." Kakyuu watched Serena carefully…something told her that the blonde was hiding something.

"Have the cops turned up anything new?"

"No…it's like he disappeared into thin air." Kakyuu's eyes were worried.

Serena decided to tell her what had happened. "This is going to sound crazy, but I figure you guys have the right to know. I've seen Seiya."

"What?"

"He showed up a few days ago. He was a little bit disheveled, and dirty, like he'd been in the woods…" Serena swallowed; the pain of his leaving was tearing into her again, but she kept going. "He wasn't hurt, but I think something happened."

"What do you mean?"

"He was so solemn, and when he talked to me, it was like he'd shut all of his emotions down…and he broke up with me." The blonde had tears in her eyes, and her arms wrapped themselves around her torso.

Kakyuu was reeling inside. Her brother was safe…that was good. But he hadn't bothered to call…he was _so dead_! He'd left Serena…why? He loved her more than anything else in the world…why would he leave? Was he doing the same thing their dad had done several years back? Had he found their father somehow, or had he gotten into some sort of trouble? The redhead forced her thoughts to settle, and placed her hands on Serena's shoulders. "Are you absolutely sure it was Seiya?"she asked.

"Yeah…it was definitely him." The pain in the blonde's eyes was terrible to see; it was like when Seiya had left, he'd taken her soul with him.

"He's a dead man," she muttered.

"He didn't call you?"

"Not a word."

This was getting worse and worse…Serena felt like she'd let Kakyuu, Taiki, and Yaten down. She should have at least told him to call his siblings…but instead she'd screamed at him to get out. None of this was like the Seiya she knew. None of this was something the man she loved would do. The Seiya she loved would never have left her…he would have called Kakyuu and not forced her to hear something from his girlfriend. The blonde felt like she would burst into tears. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she murmured. "For a while, I thought it would sound crazy."

"I don't blame you…I just wish I knew what was going on in his head."

"I think both of us wish that."

"Listen to me, Serena. I think there's more to this than meets the eye…Seiya wouldn't break up with you unless something was seriously wrong."

"Maybe he's just found someone else…" Serena had always wondered why Seiya had chosen her out of all the other more attractive, less klutzy girls. She was nothing special…

"No, that isn't it. He loves you."

"No, he doesn't," Serena whispered. "He told me so."

Ouch…that had to have stung…Kakyuu winced. What was Seiya thinking? A few days ago before he'd disappeared, he'd been unable to talk about much else besides Serena. He was crazy about her, and Kakyuu was left with the impression that if the time came, her brother would die for the blonde. A huge piece was missing from this puzzle, but she couldn't fathom what it was. What would possess him to leave Serena like this when he loved her so? It was so strange…

"We have a missing piece in here…something we're missing," Kakyuu stated. "And we're going to find it. But to do that, I need your help."

Serena nodded. She was willing to do anything. It was stupid of her to go setting herself up for more heartbreak, but if there was even the smallest chance that Seiya would come back to her, how could she say no? She was willing to help, if only for a reason to fight the pain that threatened to crush her. Still, she couldn't help but think, 'Seiya, if something's wrong, you know you can tell me…why hurt me like this?'


	7. Chapter Six: Enter Dracula

**Search By Moonlight**

**Chapter Six: Enter Dracula**

**AN: ** No, not _that_ Dracula! Read it, sweeties. By the way, this story is not my fault. The evil plot bunnies are making me do it.

In the dark of the night, life was still going on, though not in the way one would expect. One old, abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town was bustling with activity. Men and women cleaned the outside and tended to the shrubs and plants that had long been neglected and left to grow wild. The inside was busy, too; more people scrubbed the floors and made the beds, arranged furniture, and what not. In the midst of it all sat a regal, imposing young man who appeared to be in his late teens, possibly early twenties. His dark blue eyes watched the activity around him with a look of boredom and disinterest…yet somehow noticed when one of the people left a spot of dust or left a nick in a piece of furniture, as indicated by how quickly they were reprimanded.

At his side stood a woman with flowing red hair and dark, cold eyes. She was extremely attentive to her master, and she radiated negativity. "My lord, why not choose another vampire for your bride? Surely there is a better choice than _her_!" she asked. She was referring to a portrait that hung on the wall, framed in gold and diamonds. The portrait was of a beautiful girl with shining, flowing golden hair and cerulean blue eyes. A sweet, gentle smile was on her face, and the flowing forget-me-not blue dress served only to enhance her beauty. Her name was Beryl, and she desired the love of the man she served more than anything else.

"A vampire bride would serve only as a concubine and an amusement. I need a living maiden to fulfill my needs…I must have an heir. Another vampire cannot give me that."

"If she gives you an heir, she will die in the process…why not take someone who would last longer? I know you adore beauty like hers, but what is the use if she will fade and go out like the others?"

"I have thought of that, Beryl. She will have my child, and then I shall turn her."

"My lord!" Beryl gasped in shock, horror, and jealousy.

"Do you have something to say, Beryl?" He turned his cold, emotionless, soulless eyes to her.

"No…no, my lord."

"Very well, then. Tell Jadeite I wish to speak with him."

Minutes later, a pale youth with pale blonde hair and gray eyes entered. "You wished to speak with me, my lord?"

"You have done well, Jadeite, in finding me a suitable bride, and tracking her location so that I might win her. I trust that your other mission has been as successful?"

"I have learned all I can about the girl, sir. We have but one obstacle, and even that is easy enough to overcome."

"What obstacle? I want no risk of my plans failing at the last minute."

"The girl already has a man at her side, sir. From what I can tell, she is not married, but she is very much in love with this man…" Jadeite held up a picture of a young man with black hair and blue eyes.

"This could make things very difficult, Jadeite. Get rid of him."

"Not necessary, sir. He has not been seen for many days, and your bride is very much alone…and vulnerable."

The imposing man smiled. "Excellent. You are sure he is gone?"

"Not a trace of him."

"Excellent…then there shall be no interference. Where is she?"

"She lives at 64, Rosewood Street, on the west side of town. She attends a school; I believe it is Bruton High School."

"Very well…I will endure the lectures of a pompous old pedant for a time…make arrangements for me to attend this school as well."

"Right away, my lord." Jadeite bowed and left the room.

Darien smiled, a cold, cruel smile, and turned his eyes back to the portrait of the beauty in front of him. 'Soon, my beauty, you will belong to me…' he thought. 'You, Serena Tsukino…will be my bride and then my dark queen. We shall live in the shadows of night for all eternity, and your heart and soul will belong wholly to me.' He frowned as he regarded the picture of his rival. There was a name…Seiya Kou. 'Seiya Kou…you are very foolish to leave such a beauty alone…ah, well…you'll learn your lesson when I take her for my own.'

"My lord?" It was Beryl.

"What?" he snapped, annoyed at being interrupted.

"Are sure it is wise for you to attend school with so many humans around? They might suspect something amiss…some of these human boys are little better than animals, and the girls can be just as bad at times."

"I have made my decision. I will not change my mind."

"Very well, my lord. I just hope you don't regret it later."

"Haven't you learned by now, Beryl?" He flashed a wicked smile. "I regret nothing…the word 'regret' is not in my vocabulary."

"Of course. But what about the werewolves…and the four of our own kind that track us?"

"Werewolves are dogs…and dogs are quite stupid. They will not be a challenge. As for Amara and her crew…we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Very well, my lord. I trust that you know what you're doing."

"Believe me, madam, I do."

Beryl bowed, excused herself, and left the room. As soon as she was out of her lord's sight, she seethed with rage and jealousy. "Why must he go after that frail human girl? I love him better than she ever could, and I am timeless…I have been with him for centuries, and only these past few decades managed to win his friendship. Yet, he becomes obsessed with her at one mere glance! It is like he is possessed!" She murmured these words carefully, so as not to be heard too clearly. Darien had spies everywhere, listening and watching for signs of disloyalty among his servants. She recalled what had happened to the last servant who had been disloyal, and shuddered. She did not want to end up like that.

**AN: **Reviews…I need reviews to sustain me, or else this story will die.


	8. Chapter Seven: The New Kid

**Search By Moonlight**

**Chapter Seven: The New Kid**

**Serena: **You're evil…pure evil.

**Starlily11: **I know that, dear. Eat your vegetables.

**Serena: **(to audience) She's crazy.

**Starlily11: **I know that, too. Now shut up and let me write this.

Serena finally managed to drag herself out of bed and forced herself to go to school. It was time to face the general populace and do some rumor control. The blonde's mind was a blur. Was it possible that Seiya was in some kind of trouble and trying to protect her? What had happened to him? Why would he break her heart to protect her? Didn't he know that that would kill her? She sighed, and opened her locker, the one she shared with Seiya. This was going to be a really crappy day…she could already tell. The girl fished her books out, tried not to focus too long on Seiya's stuff, and closed the locker. She turned around to face Mina.

"Hey, girl!" Mina chirped.

"Hey," Serena managed.

Mina's eyes became concerned. "Are you all right….considering the circumstances…?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just hard. Anything happening today? The girls seem to be really excited today."

Mina's eyes lit up. "Ooo, you noticed!" she squealed. "That's a juicy one! There's a new guy in town, and he is _gorgeous_."

"Don't let Yaten hear you say that; you know how jealous he gets."

"I'm not married or dead; I can look!"

"But not around Yaten."

"You win there."

"Besides, no matter how gorgeous this guy might be, there's no way in the world he could compare to-…" Serena stopped short.

"Seiya," Mina finished sadly.

"Yeah. So, tell me…you're the expert on the new guy…is he nice, or is he a butthead?"

"My sources don't know yet; he seems cold and aloof…doesn't talk much."

"Sounds like Yaten when you first met him," Serena said with a sly smile, knowing what was coming next.

"Yaten was_ never_ cold and aloof!" Mina defended her boyfriend. "He just needed to loosen up!"

"And you did a fine job of that," Serena said soothingly.

Mina took a calm breath, moderately mollified. "So I've made my point? Because for a minute, I thought you were implying that my Yaten was an…oh, I don't know…an Ice Prince."

"I would never presume to do such a thing, oh mighty Aphrodite, defender of love."

Mina air-slapped Serena upside the head in mock indignation, laughing. "I'm glad your sense of humor's intact!"

"Of course it is."

A finger lightly tapped her shoulder, and Serena turned to face one of the most handsome guys she had ever seen.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Excuse me…I'm new here…I'm supposed to report to the main office. Would you mind helping me?"

"Of course not. And you are…?"

"Oh, excuse me. I'm Darien. And you're Serena."

Serena froze, and looked at Mina, whose mouth was gaping open like that of a fish. "How did you know my name?"

"I heard your friend call your name."

Okay…that made sense…it was still really weird. "Okay, um…the office is down this hall and to the left. Keep going straight, and you should see it. It's impossible to miss."

Darien smiled at her. The smile was dazzling…it was incredible. Serena had to blink a few times to clear her head. Darien was still standing there.

"Is there something else?" Serena asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"No," Darien answered quickly, looking down. He turned and left.

Serena turned to Mina. "What was with that guy?" she asked.

Mina gaped at her. "You mean you _didn't notice_?"

"I didn't notice what?"

"He was _totally hitting on you_!"

"And I'm not interested." Serena was thinking that Seiya's smile was much warmer, and gentler. Darien's smile was too hard and bright. Sure, they both had black hair and blue eyes, but Seiya's was so long and thick…silky, too. Seiya's eyes were a more beautiful shade of blue.

"You're nuts."

"Should I be worried about Yaten? It sounds like he might lose his girlfriend."

Mina sobered, and Serena felt as guilty as she was relieved. She felt bad for playing that card…she knew Mina loved Yaten more than anything. She'd just wanted her to quit talking about the new guy. It made her think of Seiya…and that was too painful.

"No…I just think he's cute," Mina said quietly.

"I know. I just don't want to talk about guys right now."

"I know…Yaten told me about what you said when you talked to Kakyuu."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he was pretty upset."

"I should've spoken up sooner…"

"No, he's not mad at you…he's pissed at Seiya. For leaving them hanging and for hurting you. You're like his little sister, you know."

"I know."

"Do you need a girl's night?"

"Yeah…it might help."

"Okay…you know the drill. Amy, Rae, Lita, and I will meet you outside the school when the last bell rings. Then, we will go shopping at all your favorite stores, and then we will pig out until we get sick on all the goodies Lita's made. She knew you'd be wanting comfort food."

"Thanks."

"No problem. If you don't want Darien, can Lita have him? She called dibs."

"He's all hers," Serena laughed, and the two girls made their way to the first class of the day; Physics.

Ω**ж¥ж¥ж¥ж¥ж¥ж¥ж¥ж¥ж¥ж****§Ω**

Sure enough, as Mina had promised, Serena was met by her friends as soon as the last bell rang, and they took off. The petite blonde was lost in thought; she'd felt Darien's eyes on her all day. Every time she looked at him, he was staring at her, with a look of almost hunger in his eyes. It gave her the creeps. Furthermore, somehow, he was in every class with her. _Every freaking class_. It scared her; couldn't he tell she wasn't interested? She didn't want to be unfaithful to Seiya. Something was going on with the man she loved, and she wasn't going to give up on him just because of something he'd said.

"What're you thinking about?" Mina asked.

"Seiya…and Darien."

"Whoa…are you interested in him after all?"

"No…he gives me the creeps. He's in every class I'm in, and he's always staring at me…it scares me."

Mina scratched her head; she hadn't noticed. "Really?"

"Yeah…he doesn't get the fact that I'm not interested."

"Uh-oh…"

"Yeah, no kidding!"

"It _is _ somewhat worrisome," Amy stated. She'd noticed the way Darien looked at her friend, and she understood Serena's discomfort. "Serena, do you think we should tell someone, a counselor…?'

"No…maybe he'll stop. It's just his first day, and I don't want to cause trouble for him," Serena replied quickly.

"I hope you're right," Amy worried.

"Oh, it'll be fine!" Mina laughed, waving the problem away. "He'll realize that our friend here isn't interested, and he'll find someone else to stare at."

Rae wasn't so sure…she's seen the way Darien looked at Serena, too, and was unnerved by it. Something about him was off, and for some reason, he was interested in Serena. It couldn't mean anything good. She was glad that Serena could tell something was wrong; it would be easier to convince her to stay away from him if it became necessary. The new guy was not at all what he seemed.


	9. Chapter Eight: A Threat Revealed

**Search By Moonlight**

**Chapter Eight: A Threat Revealed**

**Serena: **What are you planning?

**Starlily11: **Nothing too horrible, hon.

**Serena: **Uh-oh…Seiya, where are you?

**Starlily11: **I'll tell you…eventually.

**AN: **The publishing page is down...if you guys are reading this, I'm glad. It means I managed to publish it.

Seiya walked around the town nervously, wondering if he'd be recognized. He knew that his hair wouldn't be much of a give-away; it had been cut off. He knew that his eyes were now a cool-looking shade of turquoise, thanks to contacts, but what if he ran into Serena? She knew him better than just about anyone else…she might see through the appearance change. Would that be so bad, he wondered. Surely not…but then he remembered the threat. He couldn't risk hurting her. He looked at Sean nervously.

Sean flashed a grin and sidled up. "Don't worry…no one will recognize you," he assured Seiya. "Besides, this place is so crowded that no one'll really be focused on just one person." It was true; the mall was ridiculously crowded…everyone was too busy to really pay much attention.

"Tell me again why we're here?"

"We're searching for bloodsuckers…you'd be surprised how many of them hang out in places like this. It's a buffet for them…there're tons of people…hundreds of people for hungry vampires walking around like Happy Meals with legs."

It was a horrible joke, but Seiya still somehow managed to see a small bit of humor in it. "Okay, let's go," he said.

Sean nodded, nudged Derek, who was also with them, and all three walked the mall, searching for some small sign of a vampire's presence. Seiya fought back a stab of pain as they walked past Serena's favorite clothing store, remembering the good old days, before this mess had started. Even so, he couldn't help but look back, and almost walked into a wall as Serena, Mina, Amy, Rae, and Lita walked out. Sean pulled him out of the way, but Seiya couldn't resist stopping to look at his love. Serena was smiling, but her eyes were sad, and her friends seemed to sense it; they were working hard to cheer her up.

"You know those girls?" Sean asked.

Seiya nodded mutely, still focused on his Odango.

"Your girl with 'em?'

Another nod.

"Which one?"

"The blonde…not the one with the bow."

"Oh, she's gorgeous!"

"Paws off, she's mine."

"I know, dude. Damn, you have good taste! Her friends are pretty hot, too."

"Two of them are dating my brothers, and the others are taken, too."

"Shoot!"

Seiya finally had to tear his eyes away. Seeing Serena was painful; it reminded him of what he was forced to give up. It reminded him of when he'd broken her heart, of seeing her cry. It hurt him to see her cry. That was why he'd worked so hard to protect her, why he'd always done his best to be as gentle as possible with her. She was so fragile; and he'd broken her. The dark-haired boy forced himself to smile. "Come on, guys. Let's go."

Sean nodded, understanding. Derek understood, too, and all three walked away, not realizing that a certain blonde was staring after them.

Ω**ж****†****ж****†****ж****†****ж****†****ж****†****ж****†****ж****†****ж****§Ω**

Serena felt someone's eyes on her. It wasn't like with Darien; it wasn't a bad feeling. It was more like someone was watching over her. Like Seiya once had. She was enjoying the time with her friends, but she couldn't keep from thinking about Seiya for long. She looked in the direction she felt the gaze was coming from. Three tall, muscular guys were standing there, casual as could be. Two of them were apparently people-watching; the third was looking in her direction. His hair was as black as a raven's wing, the same gorgeous color as Seiya's. There was a huge difference, though. Seiya's hair was long and flowing. This guy's hair was only about four inches long. Still, their features were the same…the blonde studied him intently, searching for…something…the three walked away. She watched them, trying to figure out why that one guy reminded her so much of Seiya.

Ω**§†****†****†****†****†****†****†****†****†§Ω**

It seemed that, crowded though the mall was, Seiya could not escape the sight of Serena. It was as though Fate insisted on torturing him by throwing the thing he wanted most but couldn't have right under his nose. Seiya tried to keep it from bothering him, but he could not. He loved Serena so much it hurt…and he was stuck fighting a bunch of super-powered, annoying, evil vampires that caused him to go into wolf mode. It was frustrating; not being able to go to her and tell her what was going on. A foul, yet sickeningly familiar scent reached his nose. He felt Sean and Derek tense. All three looked in the direction it was coming from.

A man with midnight blue eyes and black hair was the source. He was mere yards away from Serena, and his eyes were fixed on the blonde. Seiya felt his heart freeze in his chest as he saw the look in that…thing's….eyes. It was clear that for some reason, this bloodsucker had set his sights on his Odango. Well, that would have to change. That bloodsucker couldn't have her. Seiya would die before he'd let that leech so much as touch her. The raven-haired boy locked eyes with Sean and nodded. They had to nip this in the bud…_now_.

The three werewolves separated discreetly, and casually worked their way towards him, surrounding him. The vampire caught their scent, and began to disappear into the crowd. Seiya moved quickly, not caring if he knocked anyone over. He had to protect Serena first, make sure she was safe from this monster. Before long, the two were out back, in the dark. They faced one another, the vampire calm and cold, the young werewolf's emotions burning fiercely in his eyes. Sean and Derek were nowhere near; they were still negotiating the traffic of the mall.

"Who are you?" Seiya snarled.

"That's none of your business, mutt."

"When you're on my territory, it _becomes _my business, _leech_."

"It won't be your territory much longer."

At the threat to the ones he cared about, Seiya phased and lunged, seizing the thing by the throat. A kick to the side sent him flying. The dark-haired boy looked up, and bit back a string of curses. 'More freaking vampires?' he thought. 'Unfreaking believable!' He studied the enemy. One he already knew. The new one was female, with red hair and evil, dark eyes. She creeped him out. He lunged again, and nearly took the female's right arm clean off. The other vampire didn't really seem to care much.

"Beryl," he said coldly. "Finish this. I am tired…I need my rest if I am to win my bride." His eyes flicked to the inside, where Serena was.

Seiya nearly choked from sheer horror. He wasn't entirely sure what the vampire was on about, but he'd seen enough movies to know that this development was very bad. He had to kill him, keep Serena away from him. The boy went after the vampire, but Beryl, as she was called, knocked him sprawling, and moved in for the kill. A large white wolf, whom Seiya recognized as Sean, snarled and knocked Beryl off of him. Derek moved in for the kill, and Seiya joined him. Beryl grabbed Derek by the scruff of his neck and tossed him aside, and ran. Seiya started after, but Sean ordered, +No.+

+Why not?+ Seiya snapped.

"We're in town; we can't be seen like this.+

He had a point. It wasn't like giant wolves were often seen in civilization.

+We lost another one,+ Seiya grumbled. +At this rate, we'll be overrun, and Count Dracula there will kick our sorry butts, and Serena will end up in his clutches.+

+What?+ Sean let out a whine, and phased back. All three of them did.

"He wants to make _my_ girl _his _bride…whatever the hell that is."

"This is _not _good," Sean murmured. "I'll have to tell Matthias."

"What is it?" Seiya asked.

"When a vampire takes a human mate…it means one thing. Whoever this leech is, he's got some major plans. He's going to use your girl to provide himself with a whole brood of half-vampires."

Seiya thought he would vomit; that was sick. But then he thought of something even more horrible. "What would happen to Serena?"

"She would die…or he'd turn her."

"I'll never let that happen," Seiya vowed. "If he touches her, I'll kill him…it."

"Something tells me this leech won't use force…"Derek said. "He's going to woo her."

"We need to find his hideout and wipe out all of those leeches," Seiya growled. "I won't let him destroy her like that!"


	10. Chapter Nine: The Dark Knights

**Chapter Nine: The Dark Knights**

**Serena: **Oh, God…you're bringing Batman into this?

**Starlily11: **No…that's too weird, even for me…just pay attention. You'll see what I mean.

As Darien and his crew huddled back down in their dark, luxurious abode, preparing their next move, four other vampires were tucked away in a cozy, medium-sized yet somewhat expensive house. The one called Amara watched the moon in the sky, lost in thought. She disliked this town…it reeked with the stench of the wolves…dogs. She disliked the fact that they'd been here for weeks and still had not found Darien and killed him. The woman gritted her teeth as she thought about how close those mutts had come to killing her and Michelle. A hand rested softly on her shoulder. Amara turned.

Michelle had joined her at her side. Amara softened. "You should be in bed," she said quietly.

"I got lonely." Michelle smiled at the taller woman sweetly.

Amara chuckled. "All right…I'll be there in a minute."

"What are you thinking about so intently?"

"Darien…we need to stop him, Michelle. What he's planning…it's wrong. He's gotten away with his crap for too long…he needs to pay."

"Amara, think! He has over four hundred years on you…that's centuries more experience. Not even Trista has that much experience."

"We can't just let him walk."

"I know…but you'll get yourself killed if you aren't careful."

"It's a little late for me to worry about that…we're all already dead."

"You know what I mean."

"I do…all right, you win. Let's get to bed." Amara gently steered Michelle to the bedroom, and lay down beside the teal-haired beauty, still thinking. She had to stop Darien from carrying out his plan…she couldn't let him destroy that poor girl…she couldn't let Hotaru's vision come true.

Yes…Hotaru, young though she was, had aged beyond her years because she was plagued by visions of the future. Most of them were dark. About two months ago, the small girl had insisted that they needed to go to Williamsburg, Virginia, and find and protect a petite blonde. This girl, whoever she was, could very well be the key to Darien's undoing. And they needed to guard her from him. Hotaru insisted upon that, and they had all agreed that it was best to listen to her. None of them really liked the loss of life Darien caused wherever he went.

Amara tried to calm her mind, but the images of Darien haunted her. She hated him more than anything…he would pay for what he'd done. No, she would not allow him to escape her again. She would kill him or die trying. Unless the werewolves got to her first…or if they got Darien first. Personally, she wondered if there was a way she could discreetly sic the wolves on that evil bastard. Hopefully, the pack and Darien along with his crew would finish each other off. Then, she could take Michelle and the others and get out of this town.

"Amara?"Michelle asked sleepily.

"Hmm?"

"Are we truly going to start going to school again tomorrow? After two hundred years?"

"Yeah. We have to…we need to make sure Darien doesn't succeed. If we thwart him, his will might break, and we can finally take him out." Amara was willing to do anything to get rid of Darien…even sit in a classroom all day while some stuffy old windbag lectured her about stuff she'd lived through, and things she already knew from centuries of her afterlife.

"I hope they have a good arts program…"

Amara grinned. Michelle _would_ be most worried about that. Personally, she was more interested in whether or not they had a street-racing club. They probably didn't. "I'm sure they do," she said finally. "And if they don't, I'm sure you'll fix that right away."

"That's my plan…"

"Good night, Michelle."

"Good night, Amara."

**Ω†Ω†Ω†Ω†Ω†Ω†Ω**

Amara walked through the hallways of the school the following day with growing impatience. She was a vampire, for crying out loud! She could find her way out of the wilderness but not around a school building…that was ridiculous. She looked at Michelle, who was smiling faintly. Apparently, she found this amusing. The sandy blonde once again wondered why Trista wasn't here…then she remembered. Trista was more mature in her looks than the two of them. There was no way she'd pass for a high school student. She and Michelle just barely squeaked by. Sighing, the sandy blonde turned a corner, and walked smack into a petite blonde girl with an extremely unusual hairstyle. With a start, she realized that this was the girl Hotaru had seen in her vision.

The blonde in question let out a yelp and almost fell, but Amara, with her vampire reflexes, caught her and steadied her.

"I am _so sorry_!" the girl gasped. "I'm such a klutz!"

"No, it was my fault," Amara said with a smile. The girl's sincerity was unusual in this day and age…it was refreshing, and not at all unpleasant. "I wasn't looking."

"I walked right into you!"

"No, I walked into you. It's not a problem. Say, would you mind pointing me in the direction of a Mr. Hills' room? My cousin and I are new here, and we're a little lost."

"No problem. I was just on my way there. I'm Serena, by the way. And you are…?"

"I'm Amara, and this is Michelle."

"It's nice to meet you guys. Follow me…we can get there on time if we hurry." The petite girl turned, beckoned, and they set off.

They arrived as the bell rang, and Amara nearly cursed as she saw Darien sitting in the front row. Apparently, he felt the same way, because his eyes narrowed. He didn't have time to even open his mouth, though, because Mr. Hills walked in.

Mr. Hills was a balding man in his late forties, known for wearing tweed and being the most boring teacher in the school. He was a bachelor, and often got off topic by moaning about his lack of a love life, which, if possible, bored his students even more than his lectures. "Good morning, class," he greeted them. He didn't notice the new students; he never noticed anything.

"Good morning, Mr. Hills," the class said in unison.

That done, Mr. Hills, a Pre-Calculus teacher, began a long, painfully dull lecture that had half the class asleep within five minutes. The other half was either forcing themselves to pay attention, or staring blankly out the window, completely oblivious. Amara yawned, and watched Darien warily. His eyes were fixed on Serena, who was staring out the window. The girl looked, saw Darien staring, and quickly looked away, obviously uncomfortable.

Eventually, the bell rang. Amara and Michelle were in Serena's next class as well. Unfortunately, so was Darien. There was no seating chart, so once she knew where Serena was sitting; Amara placed herself in a position where she blocked Darien's view of Serena. Michelle contrived to join her. Darien's eyes blazed with fury, but he didn't act. It would have been foolhardy. Amara hid a grim smile. It was kind of fun to irritate him. Serena noticed what was going on, and she smiled at Amara gratefully. The sandy blonde returned it.

Eventually, the day was over, and Amara and Michelle quietly made their exit, avoiding Darien. Serena headed home, thinking. She'd noticed the looks passing between the three, and wondered what was going on between them.

Amara and Michelle rejoined Trista and Hotaru at home.

"Did you find her?" Hotaru asked.

"Yes, we did," Michelle replied. "Unfortunately, so has Darien. Amara irritated him today."

"Hey, I was just protecting Serena from being stared at. I don't know how the poor girl stands it…I'd be scared stiff if Darien were staring at _me_ like that!"

"It _was_ a little bit on the creepy side," Michelle chimed in. "He just stared at her all day…"

"That's definitely a turn-off…if he's going to keep that up, he'll have a hard time getting her to give him the time of day…which is what we want. The less he's around her, the better off she'll be, and it might make it easier for us to kill him."


	11. Chapter Ten: A Kill and Consequences

**Chapter Ten: A Kill…and Consequences**

**AN: **Hmm…what shall I do next?

Seiya moved through the trees as quietly as the laws of the universe would allow. He was determined not to waste any more time. If that leech was after Serena, he would put a stop to it. No one was allowed to harm her, much less destroy her as this monster planned to do. The thought of what that bloodsucker wanted to do with her made Seiya's blood boil. That leech must never be allowed to touch her…that was why he was going completely against his father's orders and sneaking out. He had to nip this in the bud and do it quickly.

The thing was, nobody was willing to take the offensive and strike first. Matthias said he understood how he felt, but he was not willing to put the whole pack in danger by attacking without any knowledge of how this vampire worked. As a result, Seiya would just have to do it on his own; the consequences could go to that hot, scary underground world where the leech would soon be. If he waited around for the rest of the pack to act, Serena would die…

Seiya shuddered at the thought. He couldn't let his angel be carried away into darkness, let the light of those blue eyes fade…he couldn't let her beauty and loving heart, or her warmth, be stolen from the world. The dark-haired youth tried not to let his imagination get out of control and show him horrible images of her death, or her lying still and cold, her eyes closed in sleep, never to wake again. Even more dreadful was the thought of what the leech would do to her…she would be cold still, bound eternally to darkness, never to feel the warmth of the sun again. She could never endure that…and he would not let that be taken from her.

As he got into wilder parts of the woods, he phased into his wolf form, and began sniffing for vampires.

+What do you think you're doing?+

Seiya let out a yelp as Sean's thought-speak echoed in his mind. +Uh…taking a walk.+ Smooth, Seiya, he thought.

+Taking a walk, my Aunt Petunia!+

+Dude, who would name their kid Petunia?+

+Shut up. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get yourself into?+

+Who cares? Serena always comes first…I have to protect her.+

+Good luck doing that while being dead. Did you even bother to think this through? If you attack that leech, who has probably been around since the Revolution or something, you'll die!+

Seiya snorted, or made a noise that would have been a snort had he been human. +I won't die, Sean.+

+Either you're really stupid, or you're insane.+

+Or I just have balls.+ Seiya almost felt Kakyuu smacking him upside the head. She disliked crude talk like that. So did Taiki…and Serena, for that matter. Yaten didn't really care.

+Christ, you're insane! Listen to me! You're going to get yourself killed!+

+If I die, at least I'll die knowing I did _something_ to protect the girl I love!+

+If you die, someone'll have to tell your family and your girl…how do you think they'd take that?+

+I don't have time for this…get out of my head!+

Seiya heard Sean's mental sigh. Finally; +I can see that you're not gonna let this go; okay, wait up. Derek and I will be with you shortly.+

+Really?+

+Yeah…somebody's gotta keep you from getting yourself killed.+

+Thanks.+

+Thank me later; we just might get ourselves killed.+

Seiya rolled his eyes, but he waited. A few minutes later, a huge white wolf and a medium-sized gray wolf joined him. Sean and Derek had arrived. Derek gave Seiya an annoyed, 'Why did you drag me into this' look, and Sean wore an expression of long-suffering. Even though they were all wolves, they could all see what the others were feeling. Seiya, a large, black wolf, began sniffing for the enemy again, and he caught a whiff. He moved in the direction of the smell, revolting though it was, and followed it. Sean and Derek were at his heels.

The trail led them out of the woods, through back-country roads, and all the way to an old mansion on the outskirts of town. The scent was almost overwhelming; the place was crawling with vampires. Seiya almost gagged, as did his companions. They'd definitely found something, all right…but how could they take on so many? They were only three, and it smelled like there must be at least half-a-dozen vampires in the building.

Sean cursed. +I didn't know there were so many…who is this leech, to have so many minions?+

+He's probably the equivalent of a leech king or something,+ Seiya replied grimly. +We met one of his minions; apparently he has more.+

+Wonderful.+ Derek let out a whine. +We're screwed.+

+Don't say that! We just need to take a few out.+

+Here's your chance.+

Seiya barely managed to dodge as a pale, gray-eyed, blonde man came at him from the right. It was a leech. Growling, he lunged, and closed his jaw around the thing's throat. Sean called out a warning, but he was too late. Seiya was sent sprawling, and another leech, this time with dark hair and eyes, was in front of him.

"Jadeite, you moron, didn't you hear Darien tell you not to go after the dogs by yourself?" the dark-haired one snapped.

"I thought I could handle it, Nephrite. Mind your own damn business."

The two began to argue, and the three wolves seized the opportunity. They attacked, and the two vampires were quickly mere collections of limbs and other parts. The three quickly took their human forms, lit a match, and destroyed the remains. Quietly, they disappeared into the night. As they returned to the den, all of them felt a mix of fatigue, exhilaration, mild disgust, and grim triumph. That quickly faded when they entered and found Matthias waiting for them.

"You three. Outside. _Now_."

**Minutes Later**

"Gentlemen, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We took down two leeches on their own turf," Derek replied. "That's two less we have to worry about."

"Were you seen?"

All three boys looked at each other, thinking, and trying to come up with an answer. None of them knew. Seiya remembered his father well enough to recognize the look on his face; Matthias Kou was very displeased with all three of them, and he, as his son, was not going to catch any breaks. Sean looked at Seiya, and then at Derek. All three looked guilty. Matthias frowned when none of them responded to his inquiry.

"Boys?" he asked impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"We don't know," Derek finally answered in a small voice.

Matthias' face showed no emotion, but they could all tell that he was angry and alarmed. "I see. You mean to tell me that there is a chance that the vampires might have gotten a good enough look at the three of you that you could be recognized later?"

Trying not to gulp, Seiya forced himself to look his father in the eyes and nod.

"Do you three have any idea how great a risk you took tonight? You not only risked yourselves, but you may well have endangered the entire pack. For all we know, one of them followed you."

"We didn't smell anything," Derek piped up. "The two we took out were alone."

"Do you know for sure that you were not followed?"

No response. Matthias sighed.

"I am very disappointed in all three of you. I'd expected better judgment from all of you. I thought I'd made it clear to you that you were not to go hunting vampires on your own."

"We went as a group," Sean objected.

"You are young and inexperienced."

"Wait, Dad." Seiya spoke up. "Don't blame Sean and Derek. It was my idea. I was the one who went out hunting vampires. They came after me to stop me, but I was being pig-headed, and dragged them along. If they hadn't come, I'd be dead."

"Do you swear to me that that is the truth? All of you?"

In concert, the three replied, "Yes."

"So you decided to hunt vampires on your own?" Matthias asked of his son.

"Yeah…I couldn't just sit back and let that leech go after Serena."

"Seiya has a point…Matthias, he wants to make her his bride," Sean piped up.

"I am aware of that fact…but your actions were foolish. I understand how you feel, Seiya, but that doesn't mean you can afford to be impulsive and defy direct orders. I specifically told all of you not to do this."

"Yes, sir," the three chorused. They couldn't win.

"Do you understand why I told you not to hunt on your own?"

"We could have died," Seiya replied, "And we endanger others."

"Very well. Since you three deliberately disobeyed me, I have no choice but to penalize you. You three have two weeks of dish duty."

All three groaned. Dish duty was the most disgusting, boring chore that everyone in the pack despised. That was why the worst punishment possible was dish duty, and why no one really acted out. Now, because they'd decided to hunt vampires on their home base, they'd gotten stuck with two whole weeks of it. Seiya sighed, and his friends sighed with him.

"It starts this morning at breakfast. Good night."

Needless to say, breakfast was not a happy affair for them, and Seiya caught a ton of grief from Sean and Derek for dragging them into this.

"Hey, you guys decided to go with me," he grumbled. "It's not like I held you at knifepoint and threatened to kill you if you didn't come."

"You were stupid enough to disobey Matthias," Sean retorted. "You know the rule; if you see someone walking out, you have to go with them."

"How was I supposed to know you were awake?" Seiya snapped.

Derek put in helpfully, "Sean snores when he's asleep. He's right next to you…if you'd used your ears, you would've known he was awake."

Sean glared at Derek. "_I do not snore_," he hissed.

"Yes, you do."

"I don't."

"You do."

"Shut up."

"Not happening."

"Both of you, knock it off!" Seiya growled. "Are you trying to get us more dish duty?"

That threat was enough to shut both of them up, and they continued to scrape half-eaten eggs off the plates.

"Kakyuu, if you can hear me, I'm sorry I said you had it easy doing the dishes," Seiya said quietly. "I just want you to know I was dead wrong."

"Sorry, Mom," Derek murmured.

"Amen!" Sean snorted.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Beautiful Darkness

**Chapter Eleven: Beautiful Darkness**

**Serena: **You're evil, you know that?

**Starlily11: **Flatterer…

**Serena: **Nutcase!

**Starlily11: **This'll take a while…anyway, next chapter!

It was late morning at the large, luxurious manor, and all of the servants stood before their master, trembling. They could feel their master's rage, and they all knew that some of them would be dead by six o'clock if they weren't careful. Zoisite and Kunzite stood at their master's side along with Beryl. All three were silent, not daring to speak for fear of incurring Darien's wrath. Darien himself was cold and unreadable as always, and no one in the room could discern his thoughts. His dark blue eyes were cold, like the depths of an ocean in the middle of a bleak winter. His face was calm, but his displeasure was palpable. Finally, he spoke.

"Kunzite."

Kunzite felt his stomach sink, and he moved from Darien's side and knelt before him. "Master?" He locked eyes with Zoisite briefly. Zoisite was as worried as he himself.

"Would you care to explain to me how those…_dogs_…managed to find our location so quickly?"

Kunzite knew he would have to tread carefully. "Master, I ask that you remember that werewolves have an incredible sense of smell…I believe that they stumbled upon us by chance."

"And in doing so, they destroyed two of us. How long before they attack again in full force and destroy us all?"

"Master, I do not believe that will happen. I know for a fact that we outnumber the mutts by dozens."

"Very true. Still, this is a concern, considering that Amara and her lot have made their appearance. Suppose they band together and strike as one?"

"I understand your concern, Master. The scenario you describe is realistic, but I am certain that not even Amara would stoop so low as to consort with dogs."

"Even separately, they are each a threat. The little one…what is her name? Ah, Hotaru, has visions of the future, and Trista can stop time for brief periods. Add this to Amara's uncommon speed and strength, as well as her ability to manipulate the weather, and Michelle's ability to manipulate the emotions of those around her, and we have a great threat. The dogs may act like little more than beasts, but they can be quite cunning. Either group could be my undoing."

"Yes, Master, but remember…you have power, too. You have your shape-changing abilities, and your compulsion, as well as your control over fog and beasts of various kinds. You cannot control the wolves, but you can control the species of bat known as the vampire bat. The dogs fear it…the threat the bats pose is enough to make any wolf think twice about attacking you."

"You make some excellent points, Kunzite. Very well…I shall forgive this one incident, but if it happens again, I shall not be so gracious."

"Understood."

Darien raised his voice for all to hear. "That goes for all of you. If anyone sees one of the dogs sniffing around, kill them, or suffer the consequences. Jadeite and Nephrite were spared my wrath; do not do anything to bring it on yourselves!"

A murmur of voices submitted to his orders, and they were dismissed. Darien turned to Beryl.

"Beryl?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Bring me one of the girls from the basement…judging the stupidity of my minions always makes me a bit peckish."

"Of course." Beryl disappeared for a few moments, and when she returned, she brought a slender, petite brunette with dark, velvety green eyes. The girl looked at Darien fearfully, trembling.

Darien smiled, a beautiful, capricious smile, and gently raised the girl to her feet. Looking her in the eyes, he murmured, "You're not afraid." His voice was compelling, and the girl's trembling ceased.

"I'm not afraid," she whispered faintly, her eyes locked with Darien's.

"You want this."

"I want this…"

Softly, Darien brushed her hair away from her neck, exposing her throat. Still looking into her eyes, he embraced her rather like one would a lover, and lightly sank his fangs into her neck. The girl moaned, but didn't struggle. He was careful not to spill a drop, and sank even deeper into the contented haze caused by the taste of fresh blood. Kunzite and Zoisite looked at each other uneasily, not trusting themselves not to seize the meal. The smell was positively mouth-watering. Beryl didn't bat an eye, so focused was she on her lord. He was beautiful in that moment, a piece of beautiful darkness, the epitome of what they all were.

Finally, Darien was finished, and he casually tossed his meal aside. "Kunzite, Zoisite, clean this up. Beryl, make sure none of the humans catch them disposing of the body."

All three bowed and chorused, "Yes, my lord."

Darien left the room, and retired to his private chambers. He pulled the black velvet drapes open, and stared at the moon. He grimaced as he realized how brightly it was shining. As a vampire, he loathed the light of the sun, even reflected off the moon, despite the fact that it could do him no harm. He much preferred new moons, when the blackness of the sky was uninterrupted, and not even the stars shone brightly. To him, darkness was incomparably beautiful. He pulled the drapes closed, and turned to the portrait of his bride-to-be.

"Soon, my bride…we will be together," he whispered. "You will forget your false love, and you will belong wholly and completely to me."


	13. Chapter Twelve: An Intervention

**Chapter Twelve: An Intervention**

**Serena: **Evil…

**Starlily11: **Stuff it.

Serena stared straight ahead at the board, trying to ignore the feel of Darien's eyes on her. It made her incredibly uncomfortable, and she wished she had the nerve to tell him to stop it. She wished Amara and Michelle had this class with her…she knew that they purposely sat between her and Darien to shield her from his stare. She missed it. The blonde tried to focus all of her attention on the lecture. Today, it was Marie Antoinette. Serena felt bad for the poor woman…Marie Antoinette had always struck her as just a foolish, naïve woman who hadn't been taught anything about ruling a country. She hadn't had a clue…she'd just wanted to have fun.

Darien's gaze was scorching her; she couldn't ignore it. The girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and stole a glance at Darien, and accidentally met his eyes. He held her gaze steadily, and she could feel his desire. She flushed, and looked away, unnerved. The passion she saw in his eyes frightened her. She was left with the feeling that he would carry her away if he could. That was what terrified her. Her heart and soul belonged only to Seiya, even though he didn't want her. She would never turn her back on him. Darien could never have her heart. She belonged to Seiya completely.

Mercifully, the bell eventually rang, and Serena, with uncommon speed, grabbed her things and fled the room, still feeling Darien's eyes on her. She thought that if she was forced to endure that scorching gaze for much longer, she would lose her mind. The blonde ran to her locker, trying to escape those blue, passion-filled eyes. She almost crashed into Taiki on the way, and he looked at her with concern, but she mumbled that she was fine and kept moving. Finally, she reached her locker, and quickly grabbed her materials for her next class.

She endured another class period of Darien's staring, and then it was time for lunch. The blonde leapt up just as before, and made her escape. She tore past Yaten and Mina like a pack of hellhounds was after her. Mina watched her friend go with a worried face, and Yaten frowned.

"Mina, what's the matter with Serena?" he asked. He was concerned; Serena was practically his little sister, and if something was wrong, he wanted to nip it in the bud.

Mina thought for a moment; she hadn't told Yaten about what was going on between Serena and the new kid. She decided it couldn't hurt to tell him. "It's the new kid," she said. "He has a thing for Serena, and he just stares at her all day. It makes her nervous. Heck, it makes all of us nervous. I guess she's really sick of it."

Yaten's eyes narrowed. Even though he was furious with Seiya for waltzing out and he knew that his brother and Serena were supposedly over, he didn't like the sound of that. Whoever that kid was, he had no business staring at Serena or making her and Mina uncomfortable.

"There he goes right now," Mina pointed him out.

Yaten looked to where his girlfriend was pointing, and saw Darien. He was following Serena.

"Does he _ever_ let up?" Mina muttered.

"What's going on?" Taiki and Amy came up. Taiki was the speaker. "I saw Serena, and she looked upset. What happened?"

"Serena seems to have a stalker," Yaten replied. "The new kid has a thing for her, and he apparently stares at her all day."

"He also follows her around," Amy piped up. "I saw him when we were at the mall a few days ago."

"And he's going after her right now," Mina worried. "Should we make sure he doesn't do something to hurt her?"

"Seiya wouldn't stand for this," Yaten stated. "Neither will I. No one deserves this."

"I agree." Taiki was in complete agreement.

The four walked followed Darien's path, and found Serena backed against a wall, with Darien looming over her. It wasn't particularly threatening, but it was obvious to anyone that their close proximity made Serena incredibly nervous. He was speaking softly, and Serena was arguing faintly. Her face was pale, and she was looking around as if hoping someone would save her. Yaten sidled up.

"Leave her alone," Yaten ordered. "Are you blind? She's not interested."

Darien faced Yaten head on. The dark-haired man was taller than Yaten by a good five inches. Yaten glared up into his face. Mina shifted nervously, worried that her boyfriend would get hurt. Taiki stepped in. He was one inch taller than Darien. Amy watched carefully, worried that this might turn ugly.

"You need to leave her alone," Taiki said quietly. "Can't you see that she's uncomfortable?"

Darien smirked. "Is that right? I'd rather hear it from her own lips, if you please."

Taiki turned to Serena. "Serena?"

"I would appreciate it if you would stop staring at me and following me around," the blonde said quietly. She eyed Darien warily. "It makes me nervous."

"There you have it," Yaten snapped. "She wants you to leave her alone."

Darien rolled his eyes and walked off. Serena heaved a sigh of relief. Yaten softened. "You okay?" he asked.

"I am now. Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Taiki replied. "If he bothers you again, let us know."

"I will."

Mina grabbed her friend's arm. "Come on!" she chirped. "Let's go grab some food. I'm starving!"

Serena grinned, and let Amy and Mina whisk her away. She was relieved that Taiki and Yaten had stepped in…she wasn't sure what would have happened if they hadn't come when they did.

Amy asked quietly, "Did Darien say anything…or do anything?'

"He was trying to convince me to go out with him, and he tried to touch me a few times…"

"What do you mean by 'touch'?" Mina asked.

"He trailed a finger down my throat, and I told him to stop, and he also tried to hold my hand."

"What a creeper!"

"I don't know why he's after me…guys, have I done anything to make anyone think I'm interested?"

"No," Amy soothed. "I'm pretty sure the whole school knows by now that he makes you nervous. You haven't done anything. Darien just cannot take a hint."

"I'm glad Taiki and Yaten showed up…I was terrified."

"You're like their little sister…they consider it their job to protect you from pesky boys," Mina said. "When they found out what was going on, they were pretty mad at Darien for scaring you so bad."

"And when he followed you, we all decided it was time to stage an intervention," Amy added.

"Thank God you did."

The three sat down at their lunch table, and relaxed. Serena went through the rest of the day peacefully; Darien had finally gotten the message, it appeared. He stopped staring at her.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: A Plot

**Chapter Thirteen: A Plot**

**Serena: **You. Are. Pure. Evil.

**Starlily11: **Deal with it.

At the manor, all was not well. While Darien lay inert and sleeping, lost in dreams of his soon-to-be bride, his guards gathered behind locked doors. Beryl was there as well, though for different reasons. Kunzite frowned in the corner, and exchanged worried glances with Zoisite. Both of them had disagreed with their master's plans to come to Williamsburg, but they had been overruled…as usual. Now, they were short two men…all because they had invaded werewolf territory. And Darien couldn't care less. Something needed to be done; but what?

"It's all because of that girl," Beryl hissed. "He didn't used to be so careless. He's blinded by his infatuation with that blonde twit!"

"We shouldn't be here," Zoisite worried. "Did I not warn him that something like this could happen? The dogs have found us…there's nothing stopping them from destroying us all. Yet our liege remains blind."

"Our liege has become overconfident," Kunzite stated. "He has been living in style since he became a vampire in 1345, Cambridge, England. Because of this, he believes he is invincible and that he can take what he wants when he wants. He doesn't realize that times have changed. Thanks to the humans' blasted technology, we vampires are in more danger than we were in Transylvania in the 1900s!"

"Are you sure that isn't an exaggeration, Kunzite?" Zoisite inquired. "In Transylvania, they knew we existed and hunted us down with pitchforks and all of that…now, we're myths."

"Until someone puts the pieces together," Kunzite said grimly. "Then what?"

"Gentlemen, there is a very simple solution to our problem," Beryl interjected smoothly.

Warily, the other two turned and faced her. They knew the red-haired woman was obsessed with their liege, that she was positively mad with lust for him. "What do you have in mind, Beryl?" Kunzite asked.

"Our sole reason for being here is the fact that our lord desires that blonde twit…what's her name…Sarah, Rina….?"

"Serena," sighed Zoisite, with a long-suffering expression. He found Beryl's jealousy rather irritating; he'd been forced to listen to similar statements for over five hundred years. Kunzite noticed his friend's expression and stifled a snicker.

"Who cares?" Beryl snapped. "The point is that she's the only reason we're stuck here! If we eliminate _her_, our problem is solved…and our lord will wake up and see what's right in front of him." She smiled and smoothed her skirt, primping in front of a large mirror nearby.

"Whatever you say," Kunzite managed to say. He didn't dare look at Zoisite; the expression that was almost certainly on his friend's face would definitely send him into helpless laughter. Both of them knew that Darien would never even consider taking Beryl as his lover. The thought was so far-fetched it was laughable.

"You agree with me, then?"

Kunzite sobered, and forced down his laughter. If there was one thing about Beryl he respected, it was his extremely healthy respect for her temper. If he laughed at her, there was no telling what she would do. Beryl angry was enough to make even Darien want to run for cover…Kunzite knew this as a fact; his master tended to get antsy when Beryl's temper was sparked. Kunzite didn't want to anger her; he wanted to live out the rest of his eternity. Besides, he wanted to get out of this town. So he answered, "Of course."

Zoisite choked, and both looked at him. "You speak treason!" he whispered.

"We're only serving our master's best interests," Beryl said sweetly. "He is in danger every moment here…we only need to prove to him that he is in danger. How is that treason?"

"But you also speak of standing in the way of his gaining his desire…that is treason."

"Not if his desire is the reason he's in danger," Kunzite stated.

"How do you propose we eliminate the girl without his learning of our involvement?"

Both Beryl and Kunzite paused; neither of them had considered that possibility. Beryl glanced down nervously, trying to come up with an answer. Kunzite looked up at the ceiling to find inspiration. Zoisite watched the pair with a raised eyebrow, watching. When, after five minutes, they still hadn't answered, he lightly tapped his foot. "I'm waiting," he stated calmly. Beryl and Kunzite remained stumped. Zoisite rolled his eyes. "See?" he said. "It's far easier said than done. Even if we killed the girl, we'd still have our master to reckon with. I, for one, would like to live another five centuries. Wouldn't you?"

Beryl gave Zoisite an annoyed look, but then a thought struck her. A slow smile spread across her face. It was such an evil, cruel smile that Kunzite backed away a few steps, and Zoisite wondered what he was about to get sucked into. That smile…it was frightening. He'd seen a similar look on Darien's face, but it had always been diluted by cold logic. With Beryl, one could see her madness. He didn't like it.

"What are you thinking?" Kunzite asked, somewhat nervously.

"What if we didn't personally do the killing? Suppose we arranged a little accident for her…"

"Our lord has a nose, Beryl," Kunzite growled. "He'd pick up on our scent."

"Zoisite?" Beryl asked, turning to the man in question. She smiled innocently, and Zoisite knew he was in trouble. "Don't you still have some of your inheritance from your father?"

Confused by the seemingly random change of topic, he replied, "Uh, yes…?"

"How much?"

"About ten grand. Why?"

"That should be enough…Kunzite?"

"Yeah, that should cover it," Kunzite agreed.

"Oh, God…" Zoisite realized what was happening. "You're going to hire a sniper, or a professional killer!"

"Exactly." Beryl's smile was pure evil now.

"What if he turns us in?"

"Easy. We kill him after he gets the job done. Our problem is solved, you'll get your money back…it's an all win situation."

Zoisite racked his brain for any possible flaws and found none. The plan seemed positively foolproof…unless Darien's spies found out. "What about his spies?"

"They only listen for attempts on our master's life, or major disloyalties such as stealing his meals," Kunzite murmured. "They've gotten lazy."

"So we're agreed, then. We'll hire someone to do the deed. All we need to do is find someone to do it," Beryl's smile was even wider.

Kunzite grinned wickedly. "I know just the guy."

Two hours later, Beryl wore a triumphant grin, Zoisite looked even more nervous, and Kunzite wore an expression of grim determination.

"Sleep well, girl," Beryl sneered. "You won't be doing much of anything for much longer."


	15. Chapter Fourteen: An Angel

**Chapter Fourteen: An Angel**

**Serena: **You're having too much fun with this…

**Starlily11: **I can't help it; I'm bored!

**Serena: **Can you be bored without killing us poor fictional characters?

**Starlily11: **My dear; what idiot told you that you were fictional?

**Serena: **I present to you the world's biggest nutcase.

For two days, all was quiet. Darien kept his eyes off of Serena, and the blonde relaxed. Taiki and Yaten kept a close eye on him in case he tried to pull any more of his crap. Amara and Michelle noticed this and smirked. Those two were pretty smart…for humans. It would be a good long time before Darien would ever get too close to Serena, and that was how they wanted it. If Darien was on a schedule, he'd have to just grab the blonde and get out of town really fast. Amara planned to make that extremely difficult for him. She was looking forward to it, actually.

Serena came to school smiling. The relief of not having someone's eyes on her all the time had wrought a visible transformation. She still missed Seiya so much it hurt, but she slept a great deal better, and she was far more relaxed. The girl also found it easier to focus, and she could hang out with her friends without knowing Darien was just around the corner, his eyes fixed on her. Her eyes sparkled more, and her skin lost its nervous cast. It was a great day to be alive. The blonde murmured a faint allusion to an obscenity as she realized that she'd left her biology homework in her car. Sighing, she carefully crossed the parking lot again and began to fish it out.

Mina smiled as her friend rummaged through the back of her car trying to find her missing homework. They were both so disorganized that it wasn't even funny. For her, it had been so bad that Yaten had her come over to his house to do her work, and then he had her give it to him, and he would hold onto it until she needed it. Serena wasn't quite that bad, but she still had a reputation for being scatterbrained. The bubbly blonde heard a shout, and she looked. A car was careening out of control down the parking lot, and it was heading straight for Serena.

Mina felt a scream rising in her throat, and her mouth went dry. Serena was over forty yards away, and no one was nearby, and she was completely absorbed in finding her missing homework. Her best friend was about to be killed, or at the very least, severely injured. The bubbly girl stood stock still, frozen by horror. She couldn't get her mouth to open, or her voice to work. The car was even closer. Someone touched her shoulder, probably Yaten, but she couldn't look away from the disaster that was coming. Finally, she gained control of her mouth. "SERENA!" she screamed. The car was moving even faster, blocking Serena from view…and it made impact.

Yaten felt his heart stop in his chest. He'd known something was wrong as soon as he saw Mina's face, frozen in a look of horror. He saw his girlfriend's mouth working; he saw her trying to speak. When he'd looked in the direction of her horrified stare, he'd seen the car, and the direction in which it was heading. No matter how fast he moved, he knew he wouldn't be able to get to Serena in time. He'd placed a hand on Mina's shoulder, trying to get her to look away. She didn't need to see this. At the same time, he was praying to every god he knew and had heard of that a miracle would occur and save the girl who had become a little sister to him. He heard Mina's scream, and heard the sickening sound of a crash, and felt light-headed. It had happened…

The driver of the vehicle scrambled out, and Mina went tearing across the lot, still screaming her friend's name. Yaten followed, feeling strangely numb. They ran to the scene of the wreck. Yaten braced himself for the sight of Serena's crushed, bloody form, for the horrible sight that surely awaited them. Mina's face became even whiter as she saw what had happened to the back end of her friend's car. She looked, searching for her friend. Nothing…no blood, no mangled body…she looked again. Still, there was nothing there. Nothing but dented metal and broken glass. She looked at Yaten, who was just as confused as she was. Mina felt a spark of hope. Had Serena gotten away in time?

The question was answered when Amara entered her line of vision, with a pale and shaking Serena in tow. There wasn't a scratch or bruise on her. The blonde looked at the wreckage in shock. Faintly, she said, "Guess turning in my homework's gone out the window…"

Mina burst out laughing, with tears streaming down her face. "You idiot…you're worried about homework? You…you…" she couldn't finish. Instead, she threw her arms around Serena, crying from relief. Yaten released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and murmured, "Thank you, God, Buddha, Jesus, whoever you are…"

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Mina sobbed. "I was so scared!"

"Yeah…I got lucky. If Amara hadn't been a few feet away, I would've been dead."

Mina managed to calm herself, and she looked at Amara. The other girl didn't even seem flushed. "Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it." Amara's eyes were fixed on the wreckage. Apparently, she was thinking what they were all thinking; it could have been a lot worse.

Mina thought for a minute; had Amara really been that close? She hadn't seen anyone nearby…well, she'd been too busy staring at Serena in horror; it was possible she'd missed something. What was the point of worrying about details? She'd saved Serena, and that was all that really mattered. The girl let it go. At that moment, Taiki and Amy came running up. Both froze when they saw the damage, and Amy turned pale when she saw Mina's tearstained face.

"Is Serena all right?" Amy asked frantically.

"I'm fine, Amy," Serena answered, stepping into view.

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. "I was so worried! I heard there was an accident, and then I saw your car…"

"I almost got crushed, but Amara pulled me out of the way." The petite blonde looked up at her savior. "Thank you, by the way. You saved my life."

Amara nodded, her dark green eyes fixed on something behind them all. Taiki turned and looked. Darien was making his way towards them. Amara tensed, and Yaten frowned. What was that creep doing here?

Darien frowned as he saw the wreckage, but smiled as he noticed Serena. "I heard you had an accident," he said.

"I almost did," Serena admitted. She avoided meeting his gaze.

"Are you hurt at all?"

"No." Serena felt uncomfortable with his eyes on her. Luckily, the paramedics arrived at that moment.

"Is everybody all right?" one of them asked.

"We're fine," Amara answered. She added, "But you should look at Serena here, though." She gestured to the petite blonde.

Serena said, as the paramedics advanced on her, "That really isn't necessary…"

"It was a very near miss, though, Serena," Taiki informed her. "I think we'd all feel better if we were absolutely sure you're unhurt."

The petite blonde sighed. "No one had better try and strap me onto a gurney," she muttered. The paramedics checked her vitals and tested her tracking, making sure her pupils weren't dilated or something. She got a clean bill of health, and no one dragged her to the hospital. Nevertheless, she still had to calm her mother and father down when she called them, and Taiki and Yaten had to work hard to assure Kakyuu that Serena was honestly safe and unharmed.

**Back at the Wolf Den**

Seiya came in from a stroll in the woods to find the entire pack gathered around the TV. The news channel was on, and there was a report about a car crash somewhere. Curious, the dark-haired boy sat down and looked at the screen. With a certain stab of fear, he realized that it was at his old school. More interested now, he looked more closely. He could see the wreckage in the background, and his heart went cold as he realized that he was looking at the remains of his Odango's car. Was she all right? Suddenly alert, he watched the news report intently, listening for key phrases and names.

The news reporter said, "I am happy to say that no one was injured, but a Serena Tsukino came very close. However, she escaped harm thanks to the actions of an Amara Tenoh." The camera zoomed in on the face of one of the vampires Seiya, Sean, and Derek had run into in the woods that night. Seiya swore. He owed his Odango's life to a bloodsucker? Matthias raised an eyebrow at his son's language, but he let it go, reasoning that Seiya had a right to use coarse language in this situation. The camera zoomed in on Serena, who was clearly uninjured, if not a little shaken up. Darien was in the background, but so were Taiki and Yaten. Seiya noted with a sense of relief that both his brothers were discreetly staring the male leech down, silently ordering him to leave.

Finally, someone turned the set off, and Sean murmured, "Unbelievable. A leech saved a human…anyone else weirded out?"

"It's certainly strange," Matthias agreed.

"A vampire saved your girl, Seiya," Sean stated. "How does that feel?"

"I don't know…I'm thinking that I'm glad she's safe, but I also wish that it hadn't been a leech, but then I remember that she could have died…" Seiya shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to his angel.

**Williamsburg, the Next Day**

Serena walked through the neighborhood, thinking; 'What a week!' It had been quite eventful, what with her finally getting away from Darien's stares, and her nearly getting crushed by an out-of-control car. She had spent the better part of yesterday evening and this morning reassuring her parents that she was quite all right. The blonde sank down under a nice, shady tree, enjoying the sun's warmth. She smiled as she felt the sun's warmth on her face. Seiya's tender smile appeared in her mind. That image was erased and replaced with his cold, shut face as he declared that he didn't love her. Morbidly, she wondered what would have happened if Amara hadn't saved her. Would Seiya have cared? Would he have spared a thought for her? A click sounded in her ear, and cold metal was pressed against her throat.

"Don't scream," a hoarse voice whispered.

With a low gulp, the blonde nodded. She knew that whoever was beside her, they had a gun, and they meant business. The gun was moved away from her. Clearly, whoever it was didn't want to kill her now, in broad daylight, in the middle of town. She wanted to cry, and she looked around, realizing she was alone. No one would come and save her. Amara wasn't here this time, and even if she had been there, she wouldn't be able to stand against a gun.

"Stand up. Don't make any sudden moves."

Serena stood, trembling. She wished someone, anyone, would appear and stop this.

"Walk forward. Keep going until you're in the woods. Don't try to run; I'll be behind you." The gun was pressed into her back to emphasize the order.

"All right," she whispered. The blonde followed the instructions, barely breathing, praying for a miracle. The girl walked through the town, concealing her terror and resisting the almost overpowering urge to wet herself. She took the back ways, and walked into the forest, then spun around and backed into a tree. She could see the person who threatened her now. It was a male, Caucasian, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked like he was in his early thirties. Knowing this wouldn't do her much good, but if she could escape…

"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that you'll be able to run. Do you know what would happen if you tried to run?"

"You'd shoot me. But aren't you planning to do that anyway?"

"You're smart. That's good. Stupid people piss me off."

"You're still going to kill me. What's the difference?" Maybe if she could keep him talking…

"If someone ticks me off, they'll die slowly…and painfully."

"I figured. So, um, who wants me dead? I think I have a right to know since I'm not going to live long enough to tell anyone anyway."

"Sorry, kid. No can do. It's part of my contract."

"Can you excuse me for a minute? I have to pee."

"And let you run?"

"I'm not stupid! How about I go right behind this tree and make sure you can see me?"

"All right...I don't want you to wet yourself when I kill you…that would be embarrassing for you…it's my job to kill, not humiliate. Make it quick, though."

"I will." 'Please, God, let this work,' she prayed. She went behind the tree and squatted, supposedly to do her business. Instead, she searched for a rock. She found one that would be easy to throw, but was big enough to do some damage. Concealing it, she came out from behind the tree and declared she was done. Her captor raised the gun. Serena gripped her rock, and threw it. Miraculously, it hit. The blonde turned and ran for her life. She heard her would-be killer shouting behind her, but she kept trees behind her, and tried to keep to the shade to make herself less visible. A shot rang out, and she let out a whimper, but kept running.

The blonde ran as fast as she could, but her clumsiness caught up to her. She tripped over a tree root, and she could hear the gunman getting closer. She scrambled to her feet, and continued to run deeper into the woods. Another shot rang out, and tree bark exploded next to her. She gasped and moved even faster, trying to escape. Still another shot, and the bullet grazed her arm. Serena couldn't help but let out a shriek. She ran faster than she had thought was possible, and cried out silently to all nature, begging for release. She heard a gunshot, and pain seared in her side. With a cry, she fell, unable to go on. With tears in her eyes, she watched her killer approach. When he raised the gun, she closed her eyes. Seiya's face, smiling lovingly at her, glowed in her mind. He held out a hand to her.

"Seiya…" she murmured. He was so beautiful…had God sent her this vision to ease the pain of her death? Why hadn't she heard the gun go off for the killing shot? The pain was terrible…the image of Seiya beckoned to her, calling her away from this life. A shout from her killer sounded in her ears. What was going on? She knew she should look to see, but she didn't want to. Instead, she lay there with her eyes closed, praying for the pain to stop. Snarls echoed in her ears for a moment, and then there was silence. After several moments, an anguished moan reached her ears. Seiya's face continued to shine in her mind. "Seiya…" she whispered.

Arms lifted her, holding her gently. Moisture splashed down on her face, and a hand smoothed her hair off of her forehead. "Odango…"

That word, spoken with such tenderness and sorrow was enough to bring tears to Serena's eyes. They spilled from her closed lids. A gentle hand brushed them away. "Please…open your eyes…"

That voice was so painfully familiar…it was the voice of her angel, the one person who held her heart. She couldn't refuse him. She could never refuse him. She opened them.

Seiya held her tenderly, his sapphire eyes bright with tears. Those blue eyes that had always, but for one time, looked at her with love now burned with agony. His face was anguished, but he held her so gently that it was almost possible for her to believe that he still loved her. Lightly, she raised a hand and touched his face, not certain that he was real. His skin was warm and soft. When she moved her hand away, she could still feel the warmth. He was real. Tenderly, she caressed his face, and trailed her fingers through his raven hair. As she did so, she realized that he'd cut it. She looked into his face again. Had she mistaken someone else for Seiya? No…she would know that face anywhere. "Don't leave me again," she whispered. The pain from her wound returned full force, stronger than ever. She let out a pained scream. Seiya let out a faint sob.

"Seiya, don't leave me!" she wailed.

"I won't," Seiya whispered.

"Good…" Serena closed her eyes.

Seiya looked down into the face of the girl he loved more than anything, his heart breaking. He'd left to protect her, but in doing so, he'd let her get hurt. Now, he was losing her. He wanted to claw his heart from his chest. He glared at the now unconscious gunman. That bastard was the reason his Odango was hurting so much. When he'd heard Serena's scream, he'd come as quickly as he could. The sound of a gun had terrified him; he'd known then that his angel was in terrible danger. And then, he'd found them. The gunman had been standing over Serena, poised to kill her. He'd already landed one shot; Seiya had attacked, knocking him out. He hadn't thought twice about it.

Sean approached. "Seiya, why did you run off so—?" He stopped when he saw the scene in front of him. He took in the gun, the unconscious owner of the gun, and the sight of Seiya cradling a dying girl in his arms, and it clicked. "Oh, God…MATTHIAS!"

Matthias came at once. When he saw Serena's injuries, clearly bullet-induced, and the perpetrator lying unconscious mere feet away, he understood. Seiya was clutching the girl to his chest, and the pain in his eyes tore at the man's heart. In an instant, he decided that he would do his best to make sure that the girl his son loved would pull through this. He placed a hand on Seiya's shoulder. "Let me take her, son. I've got a feeling that we can get her through this."

Seiya nodded, and handed her to him. Matthias handled her gently, trying not to jostle her too much, and all three moved faster than they had ever done. Once they were safely in the den, Matthias investigated the wound, and quickly found where the bullet had come in. Mercifully, it hadn't sunk in too deeply. Somehow, it had avoided penetrating any organs. Matthias could see the bullet. That was a good sign, he thought, having had some experience with bullet injuries. Carefully, he pried it out. He was as gentle as possible, but Serena still let out an anguished moan. Seiya's eyes filled with pain.

"Seiya…" the girl whispered.

"Don't leave me, Serena," he pleaded.

"I won't…" the blonde began to give off a soft glow.

Matthias, who was carefully bandaging the wound, paused.

"I'll never leave you…" Serena whispered. The light coming from her grew brighter, and Matthias stepped back in shock…the blonde had _wings_. They glowed like the moon, white as virgin snow. The wound that had been inflicted on her healed before their eyes. Her dirty, torn clothing had been replaced by a flowing, silvery white gown that glowed like her wings. Seiya looked at her with love, adoration, and wonder. He approached her, and took her hand.

Serena's eyes opened, and she smiled at him. "I will never leave you, Seiya." Her eyes were tender, and she stroked his face lovingly. "You hold my heart and soul in your own two hands…how could I leave? How could I bear to stay away?"

"You really are an angel," he breathed.

"Not just any angel," Matthias murmured, his tone awestruck. "She's the angel that guards the night and the moon."

His eyes never leaving Serena's face, Seiya asked, "What are you saying?"

"There is an old legend about an angel who guards the night and its light, the moon. Legend has it that she loves with all her being, and that the one who holds her love may be freed from all burdens. She also has the power to banish evil from the night forever."

"What happened? If Serena's an angel, then how is it that until now, she was human?"

"Several millennia ago, the angel fell in love with a mortal, a werewolf, to be exact. And he loved her. But he was killed by a vampire, and the angel was so grief-stricken that her wings could not keep her airborne any longer, and so she fell to earth, with the soul of her lover in her arms. She made a wish upon a shooting star that they should meet again, and she has been earthbound ever since. Now, she has awakened."

The story seemed familiar…achingly so. Seiya looked into Serena's shining, celestial blue eyes, and he remembered. "Your face was the last thing I saw…" he murmured.

The celestial beauty's eyes saddened. "Yes," she replied. "I could not bear to lose you forever."

"I won't leave you again," he whispered.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Revelations

**Chapter Fifteen: Revelations**

**Serena: **You're enjoying torturing me, aren't you?  
**Starlily11: **Definitely…consider yourself lucky. I have a friend who isn't half as nice. Would you like me to let her finish this story?  
**Serena: **No thank you…

Seiya couldn't bear to tear his eyes away from Serena. He was almost giddy with relief; he'd saved her. He hadn't lost her. He took his blonde angel into his arms, looking at her adoringly. Her blue eyes glowed like stars as she smiled up at him. They stayed that way for a moment in time that seemed to freeze. Both wished that it could last forever, that they could stay forever this way. They both wanted that more than anything.

Sean cleared his throat, causing the two to jump. Both looked at him questioningly. "Sorry to interrupt, but we still have one major problem." The boy looked truly apologetic.

Seiya mentally smacked himself. He'd completely forgotten. "You're right," he said.

"What is it?" Serena asked. She looked between the two, worry in her eyes.

Sean looked at Seiya, then at Serena, his eyes flitting between the two faces. Finally, he said, "You'd better tell her, Seiya. I tend to be too blunt, and this situation calls for finesse."

"What's going on?" Serena asked, her voice rising. "What's happening?" The light around her dimmed, and her wings and flowing gown disappeared, changing back into her torn, blood-stained clothing. She was working herself into hysteria, a delayed reaction to her near-death experience. Fortunately, Seiya knew how to handle this. He rubbed soothing circles on her back, and she relaxed slightly. But not for long. Her voice became panicked as she asked, "Are you leaving me again?"

"No, Odango," Seiya assured her gently. "I promised I wouldn't leave again, and I intend to keep that promise. But there _is _a small problem."

Serena looked up at him, frowning. "Every time you say that, you're just trying to calm me down," she said. "Tell me what's happening." She pouted sweetly. "Please?"

"We have a vampire issue…their presence is what started this mess."

"I remember…" Serena mused. "Unless there's a vampire around, you're completely human…"

"Exactly. But there's more than just one or two now. There's at least a dozen."

"Oh," Serena murmured.

"We've taken out two of them, but they've got a bigger plan than just settling down to annoy werewolves…or at least, one group does. Unfortunately, that's the bigger one. There's a smaller group, but we don't know what they're up to." Seiya wasn't sure how to tell Serena the next bit. He tightened his grip on her as he thought about what Darien had in store for her.

Serena sensed his anxiety, and she searched his face. "There's something you're afraid to tell me," she stated. "Go ahead."

"The leader of the larger group intends to make you his bride."

From her memories as an angel, Serena figured out what that meant, and she turned white. "That goes against the laws of the universe," she murmured. "He intends to turn me afterwards, doesn't he?"

"I won't let him touch you," Seiya whispered.

"Who is it? Who's after me?"

"Have you met a guy named Darien?"

Serena got a strange look on her face, and she turned red as she recalled the way he'd stared at her. It all made sense now. She wished it didn't. "Yes," she answered, the flush on her face turning a deeper shade of red.

Seiya noticed the blush, and he tensed. "Did he do anything to you?"

"No…he stared at me a lot, though, and he followed me around…once, he cornered me…"

"What happened?" Seiya's eyes flashed with anger. He would kill that leech if he'd done something. He forced himself to soften as he looked at his celestial beauty.

"He tried to convince me to spend some time with him, and he tried to touch me…luckily, Taiki and Yaten showed up. Amy and Mina told them what was going on, and they made him leave me alone."

The raven-haired boy let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He was thankful that he had older brothers now; they'd most likely kept Serena from great harm. Silently, he promised himself that once he was able to go back home, he wouldn't do anything to annoy either of them for a year. "Was there a fight?" he asked.

"No…I was worried about Yaten for a minute, though. Darien was taller than him by about five inches. And Darien looked like he would hurt him."

Normally, the mental image would have been comical; Seiya could picture the short Yaten glaring up into the tall leech's face. Still, having been on the receiving end of a vampire's attack, he worried about his brother. If a punch from a vampire could wind a werewolf, it could possibly shatter a human's ribcage.

Serena, sensing her love's unease, continued, "But then Taiki stepped in. He was one inch taller than Darien. And I guess Darien decided that he didn't feel like fighting, because he backed down. When both of them told him to leave me alone, he was all arrogant and told me to tell him that myself. So I did. And he hasn't bothered me since."

"Uh-oh," Sean murmured. Even Matthias looked uneasy.

"What?" Seiya asked.

"Leeches don't give up that easily…he's up to something," Sean informed them.

"Do you think he'll attempt to carry her off?" Matthias inquired.

"I wouldn't be surprised."

Serena let out a yelp and leaned more deeply into Seiya. She was scared now. Seiya held her gently. "I won't let him take you," he promised. "I'll never let that happen."

Sean and Matthias glanced at each other. Both knew that what Seiya was planning to do was far easier said than done. Both of them worried what would happen if he failed. They'd seen his face when Serena was injured; that had been only a shadow of the pain he would endure if the leech took Serena and destroyed her. The pain that would result from that would surely crush him.

"What about the other vampires?" Serena asked. "The smaller group?"

"We don't really know much about them," Sean admitted. "They stay out of sight, but they're determined to stop someone from doing something. We heard them arguing. None of them really want to be here. You're safe from them."

"Was one of them named Amara?" Serena asked. Now that she knew Darien was a vampire, she was beginning to wonder if Amara and Michelle had some history with the one who was after her. It would make sense if the two girls were both vampires; it would explain how Amara had gotten to her so fast, and it gave her an idea of how the three knew one another.

"Yeah," Sean replied. "Hey, isn't she the one who saved you from getting crushed by a car?"

Matthias and Seiya both gave him dirty looks for his tactlessness.

"Yeah…things make a lot more sense now…but there's one little question I have."

"What is it?"all three asked.

"Seiya, why didn't you tell me any of this? You could have saved both of us a ton of grief. Not to mention Taiki, Yaten, and Kakyuu are worried sick. Did you honestly think that I'd stop loving you because of something you can't control?"

Sean slapped a hand against his forehead. He'd seen this coming; he just hadn't been sure when. Matthias backed away, not wanting to get caught in the middle of this. Both werewolves could see a fuse blowing in Seiya's brain as he tried to come up with a suitable answer. Serena watched him, waiting. Her warm smile was gone now, replaced by a faint frown, her eyes sad.

Finally, Seiya replied, "It wasn't that I thought you'd stop loving me…it was that I was afraid I'd lose control…"

Serena's frown deepened in confusion, when her angel memories whispered to her, revealing the answers. As her memories told her the reason, she softened. Wrapping her arms around him, she whispered, "I forgot…when you first transform, your instincts are overpowering. You were afraid you'd hurt me."

Seiya nodded, not sure what to say.

"Don't you remember what one of my gifts is?"

Seiya shook his head.

"I can free you of your burdens. I can't change nature, but I can free you from something. You need not fear losing control. As long as I am present, you will not transform unwillingly, and you will not lose control of your instincts."

Sean grinned as he realized what that meant. He nudged Matthias, who smiled in agreement. "Lucky," the boy said.

Seiya processed Serena's words, and his face shone with joy as he realized what that meant. "I can be with you," he murmured. "I won't hurt you."

"Exactly." Serena's face was radiant. Her glow reasserted itself, and her angel form reappeared. Seiya took her into his arms again. Serena suddenly had a thought. "Oh, no!" she yelped. "I'm late meeting Mina and the girls! They're going to kill me!"

Seiya groaned. "Do you have to go?" he asked.

"If I don't, they'll call Taiki and Yaten, and then those two will realize something's going on, and frankly, I have no idea how to explain that." She then recalled the state of her clothing. "But I can't go home, either," she worried. "If Mom sees all of this blood, she'll freak, and then I'll have to explain that some guy was hired to kill me and figure out how to explain my lack of injuries."

"Wait…" Seiya stopped her. "It was a hired killer?"

"Uh-huh…did I not mention that?"

"No. Oh, God, Odango, you could have died before I ever got to you!"

"The guy decided he didn't want to kill me in the middle of town, so he made me go into the woods. Then, I told him I had to pee, and he decided to let me. His reasoning was that he was paid to kill, not humiliate. Said he reckoned it would be pretty embarrassing for me to be found murdered after I peed my pants. So I pretended to go, and I grabbed a rock. I threw it, it hit, and I ran."

"You are one lucky girl," Sean said, shaking his head.

"I know. But then I tripped over a tree root, and it all went downhill from there. Luckily, Seiya found me before he made the killing shot."

Seiya had been going paler and paler as he heard what had gone down. His arms tightened around her, and Serena looked at him sweetly. "I'm fine now, Seiya," she murmured.

"I know," he answered shakily, forcing himself to smile.

Serena's phone rang, breaking the awkward silence. Serena answered it. It was Mina. The bubbly blonde was so worked up that Matthias, Sean, and Seiya could hear every word she was saying.

"No, Mina, I'm fine. I just lost track of the time, and I'm still getting dressed," she lied. Seiya raised an eyebrow. Even Mina wouldn't believe that Serena was still getting dressed at two in the afternoon.

"Yeah, right!" they heard Mina shriek. "I called your mom, and she said you'd left hours ago!"

"Ok, you caught me. I was walking by a boutique, and I saw some really cute stuff, so I just had to take a look. It was so hard to find a size four. I couldn't find anything but sixes, eights, and twelves. They had some twos, but seriously, who can really fit into a two?"

Sean looked at Seiya and mouthed, 'Size _four_?' Seiya mouthed, 'Shut up!' Serena noticed the exchange, smiled, and continued to talk to Mina.

"Where are you?" Mina shouted.

"I was trying to catch a quick nap."

"Get your size four butt over here!"

Serena grinned wickedly. "Where, pray tell, is 'here'?" She knew that would drive Mina totally bonkers. Seiya chuckled quietly, and even Matthias had to hide a smile as Serena held the phone away from her ear so she wouldn't go deaf.

"Okay, Mina…I'm coming. Give me about an hour."

Mina apparently agreed, because Serena hung up a few seconds later. "See? I have to go back, or I'll lose my hearing."

"All right," Seiya sighed. "But I'm going with you, in case something happens."

Serena smiled. "I'd like that. Besides, I need someone who'll give me a boost and help me climb in through the window. I sure can't use the front door looking like this."

Seiya grinned, and the two headed out. Serena made it safely into her room via the window, and quietly climbed back out without incident. She stuffed her ruined clothing in the back of her closet, planning to burn it later, and joined her friends. She caught grief for being late, but she just laughed it off. She would never betray Seiya and blab his secret.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Night Escapade

**Chapter Sixteen: Night Escapade**

**Serena: **What are you planning?

**Starlily11: **(innocently) Nothing.

**Serena: **Spill…(advances threateningly)

**Starlily11: **(Shrieks)

That night, Serena crept out of bed and slipped out the window. With her, she had a bag that contained her ruined clothing from that day and a box of matches. Stealthily, she ducked behind a tree and looked for a minute, making sure no one was nearby. Once she was assured that no one was there, she left the yard and disappeared into the shadows. Silently, she moved through the dark streets, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one saw her. Nobody was there, and she continued on. She was so focused on what she had to do that she walked right into someone. With a shriek, the blonde looked up. She'd walked directly into Amara.

"It's a little late for you to be out, isn't it?" Amara asked.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a little walk."

Amara raised an eyebrow. Serena wondered if she had fangs. After all, this girl was vampire.

"Honest. I was just taking a stroll."

"What's in the bag?"

"What bag?" Serena asked, trying to stuff it behind her.

"The one you're trying to hide behind your back. Honestly, what are you doing? It's dangerous for you to be walking the streets at night."

"I could say the same to you."

"There's a difference. I'm not alone." She inclined her head to the side Michelle stepped out from the shadows, and Amara turned her attention to Serena again.

"Okay…so you aren't by yourself…that's fine. Can I go now?"

"Not until you tell me what on this earth you're doing."

"I have an errand."

"What kind of errand can't wait until morning?"

"The urgent kind…I _really, really, really, _have to get this done tonight." Serena backed up as Amara stepped forward.

Amara sighed. "Fine, I'll let you go. But I'm going with you to make sure no one attacks you. The night's full of wolves."

Serena snickered mentally, thinking, 'You have no idea.' "Not all wolves are bad," she said with a wink.

Amara's eyes widened.

"You're welcome to come with me," Serena said sweetly. "You can protect me from a certain classmate I think is related to Dracula."

Amara's mouth fell open, and Michelle looked freaked out.

"Chill. I have no intention of telling anyone. All I ask is that you don't tell anyone about what I do tonight." Serena's voice was calm and smooth, and she smiled kindly. "I have no desire to create trouble. Besides, you protected me from Darien's stares. You're the good guys." The blonde turned and walked down another road.

Amara and Michelle followed. Both were wondering how the girl knew what they were, and why she wasn't even remotely freaked out. Furthermore, they were surprised she knew about Darien. It made them wonder how much she knew. It seemed like she knew a great deal. They watched as the girl entered an abandoned alley and pulled what looked like clothing from the bag. Amara smelled the blood, and matched it to the girl they were watching. With worry, she wondered what had happened. The petite blonde lit a match, and the fabric began to burn. What was she trying to hide?

"What do you know?" Amara asked quietly.

Serena replied, "I know that you, Michelle, and your friends are vampires. I know Darien's a vampire and that he wants to make me his bride, eew… and that's about it." She knew more than that, but she wouldn't go telling vampires about the werewolves. She also decided that she'd keep the angel thing to herself. That was best left untold and kept private. She asked, "So, since you're definitely not part of Darien's crew, may I ask what you're doing here? I have a strange feeling you're not here just to enjoy the sights."

Amara knew that Serena had been honest with them, and even though she was freaked out by the fact that she knew so much, she decided to be honest as well. "We're here partially to protect you from Darien, and partially because we want to destroy him."

Serena's face remained calm as she replied, "Oh. That answers that question…I'm guessing there's a grudge here? You don't have to tell me why, I just have a feeling."

"Darien's the reason Michelle and I are vampires."

"That's a good reason to hate someone, I guess. Being a vampire doesn't sound much like fun."

"It isn't. You keep having to move around because you don't age…then there's the fact that anyone you know who's mortal is going to die eventually. It puts a damper on things."

"Yeah, I bet. Then there's the whole blood thing…that must be hard to control when you're first starting out."

Amara nodded. "So, I've told you my secret. What's yours?"

Serena decided it couldn't hurt. "I got shot," she replied. "Straight in the torso. Something…strange…happened, and I survived and healed really fast. I'm just getting rid of the evidence. No one knows about this, so I decided to keep it to myself and get rid of the evidence."

"Was Darien involved?"

"No. I didn't see him at all. All I saw was the guy hired to kill me."

"Wait…he was hired?"

"Yeah…I don't know who hired him. I just know I could've died."

Amara shared a look with Michelle. They needed to look into this. "Do you know how you survived?"

"No," Serena lied.

Amara sensed the lie, and wondered what was going on. Serena had been honest about everything else, but she was dancing around details and withholding information. The sandy blonde sniffed, and for a moment, thought she smelled a werewolf. The rest of the ruined clothing turned to ash, and Serena stamped out the fire. Quietly, she thanked the two for looking out for her, and returned home. When she climbed in through the window, she stripped down, put on her pajamas, and went to bed.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Failure Will Not Be

**Chapter Seventeen: "Failure Will Not Be Tolerated."**

**Serena: **Once again, you prove that you can seamlessly weave mythology, random stuff, and Sailor Moon together into something that makes sense. You must be so proud.

**Starlily11: **Oh, I am. However, flattery will get you nowhere.

**Serena: **It was worth a shot…

Kunzite, ice white with fury, tossed the whimpering gunman at Beryl's feet. Zoisite stood in a corner, watching the proceedings with a bored face. Beryl herself faced the gunman shivering on the floor, and examined him with cold eyes. She leaned in and sniffed him for a moment. Once she'd done that, she stared at him for another long series of minutes. Kunzite, Zoisite, and the gunman watched her nervously. Then, she smiled, and lightly trailed her tongue over her lips. The gunman let out a small squeak. Kunzite inched a little further away, and Zoisite eyed Beryl the way a housewife would eye a rattlesnake coiled in the corner of her kitchen.

"You failed in your mission," Beryl informed the gunman. "The girl is alive and well."

"I shot her," the gunman replied nervously. "It was a gut shot. There's no way…"

"And yet she is fine. You've disappointed me. I demand a refund."

"Of course…you'll get it, I swear."

"Oh, I believe you. But you must be punished. Failure will not be tolerated…especially not be me." Beryl advanced, and the gunman cowered. She grabbed him and held him in an unbreakable grip. Lightly, she trailed her tongue over the man's neck. Kunzite and Zoisite grimaced in disgust, and regarded the victim with a small amount of pity. The captive trembled, but didn't make a sound. His eyes were wide with fear. Beryl noticed, and crooned, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." With the speed of a striking cobra, she sank her teeth into the delicate skin of her victim's throat, and began to drink.

"Hey, Beryl, save some for me," grumbled Kunzite.

Beryl removed her fangs from the man's neck. "Then take the other side," she snapped, and then returned to her meal. Kunzite obeyed, and took the other side. Zoisite watched with disgust. Quietly, he disappeared into the shadows and left the chamber.

"Animals," he murmured. "The two of them are nothing but animals, driven by lust and hunger…and, in Beryl's case, madness."

"Zoisite!" It was Darien.

"Coming, my liege," he called, and hastened to his master's side.

Darien sat in a comfortable armchair, apparently doing Pre-Calculus homework. Zoisite whistled sympathetically. Darien heard it, and looked up. When he saw Zoisite, he smiled. "Ah, Zoisite! Thank you for coming so quickly; I have some questions I need answers to."

"Oh? I'll be glad to assist you."

"Thank you. I've been hearing some disturbing rumors."

"What kind of rumors?"

"It has reached my ears that my bride-to-be was nearly assassinated. And that the one who hired the person who attempted to do so is in my service at this very moment."

Zoisite had seen this coming; he'd prepared for it. He was prepared to let Beryl and Kunzite be found out, but he would make sure that he suffered none of the consequences. That was his way. He had no desire to be sent to that hot, dark underground world where they would all eventually end up until it was absolutely necessary. So he answered, "You desire to know if I know anything about this."

"Yes. Do you know who was responsible?"

"As a matter of fact, I do, my liege," Zoisite replied. "As soon as I heard of that unfortunate incident, I immediately began to investigate. After a great deal of work, I managed to discover the culprits."

"Culprits? As in more than one?"

"Yes, my lord. I regret to tell you this, but I swore eternal loyalty to you, and therefore I must not conceal the truth. Beryl and Kunzite were the ones responsible. I am sure that they acted out of concern for you; it makes them uneasy to know that the werewolves are present, endangering you."

"That is no excuse," Darien replied coldly. "Failure to obey me will not be tolerated. I ordered them to make certain that the girl would be mine. I did not, in any way, shape, or form, order that she should come to harm."

"Of course, my liege. But I ask that you consider this; Beryl is…unstable, and has been for centuries. I fear what she might do if she learns that I discovered her treachery. She may well run off, and return to exact revenge on both of us."

Darien considered this. "Very well," he said finally. "I shall bide my time, and then I shall strike out at both of them for their perfidy."

"That is a wise choice, my liege," Zoisite replied with a bow.


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Detention

**Chapter Eighteen: Detention**

**Serena: **You're twisted.

**Starlily11: **Don't start.

After a hectic weekend…and several more secret meetings with Seiya, it was time for Serena to endure another week of school. The blonde had a much brighter outlook on life, and she found that merely knowing that Seiya still loved her made her feel as if she could fly. However, she had to keep her exuberance in check, knowing that it was best to let Seiya explain what was going on when he was ready, and it would look suspicious if she suddenly burst into song like she felt like doing. The blonde plopped into her seat in Mr. Hills' class, and promptly her good mood evaporated as she realized she hadn't done her Pre-calculus homework. Mr. Hills only allowed two late assignments per semester; she'd already used up both of them. If you had more than two late assignments, you got landed in detention for the whole class period. The blonde whimpered at the thought.

"Are you all right?" It was Darien. He looked genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine," she managed to say.

"Did you get the homework done?" he asked.

"I…" Serena wasn't sure how to answer. The way he was looking at her…it was as though she was transparent.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

Serena nodded, watching him. She could see him trying to carry her off. Well, it wasn't going to happen. She wouldn't fall for him, especially not in light of what he wanted to do to her. Seiya was the one she loved, not him. Seiya was warm and gentle. Darien was cold and hard. The blonde tried not to think about what Darien ate; she was guessing he was behind the disappearances. She forced herself not to stare at him searchingly, forced herself not to confront him about his intentions towards her. She would just get herself into more trouble, and Seiya might get hurt…she bit her lip.

Darien continued to watch her. Why wouldn't he leave her alone? Then, to her horror, he sat next to her. It was all she could do not to scream and curse her unlucky stars. The blonde tried to discreetly make herself as small as possible, and prayed that someone would rescue her. Amara and Michelle walked in at that moment, and both of them paused when they saw the situation Serena was in. After a moment, Amara walked up and snapped, "You're in my seat."

Darien smirked. "Really? I don't see your name on it."

"How'd you like my boot up your ass?"

"Bring it on," Darien challenged, with a look of distinct apathy.

Serena, sensing things were about to get ugly, quietly left her seat. She was glad she had, because Amara, moving like lightning, smashed her fist directly into Darien's skull. The force of the blow sent Darien sprawling, and Serena noted that if she'd still been sitting there, he would have ended up in her lap. Darien was on his feet instantly, and Michelle gently took Serena's arm and led her further away from what was quickly becoming World War III. The other kids in the classroom looked on with fascination, while Serena prayed no one would die. She knew that neither Darien nor Amara would completely reveal their true natures, but they were hitting awfully hard…what if some innocent bystander got thrown through a wall?

Darien tried to land a punch, but Amara caught his fist, and twisted. Then, she launched a kick and sent him sprawling again. Mina walked in and saw what was going on, looked around for Serena, and then she realized that the fight was going on in the vicinity of Serena's seat, which Serena had vacated. With these clues, the bubbly blonde correctly deduced that Darien had tried something, and that Amara had decided enough was enough. As she thought this, Darien landed a punch that literally sent Amara flying to the opposite end of the room. She narrowly missed slamming into Mina. It was a classic case of bad timing, because Yaten walked in at that exact moment.

The silver-haired boy reacted to his girlfriend's danger immediately. "Hey, knock it off!" he yelled at the two. "If you're going to fight, take it to a battlefield, not in a classroom! You could kill someone!"

The two ignored him, and continued to battle one another.

Yaten sighed, and then yelled, "TAIKI, HELP ME BREAK THIS UP!"

Taiki walked in, saw the brawl that was taking place, and immediately sprang into action. Taiki was a stickler for the rules, and he had had plenty of experience with breaking up fights. The chestnut-haired boy grabbed Darien's arm and asked, "Do you want to get stuck in detention! Knock it off!"

Darien took another swing, just as Amara sent her fist flying. Taiki was forced to release Darien to avoid taking a fist to the head. Yaten grabbed Amara, trying to restrain her, with little success. Taiki regained a hold on Darien. Together, the brothers attempted to drag the brawlers away from one another. Unfortunately, though both were strong, neither was really a match for the ones they restrained. Amara broke loose and punched Darien in the face, and the force sent Yaten spinning backwards. Mina grabbed his arm and steadied him. The force of Amara's landed blow split Darien's lip, and the force of the landing stunned Taiki, who staggered back. Serena shook off Michelle's gentle hold and stepped between the two. Both were about to go in for another blow, but the fists stopped in midair when Serena stepped in.

"Both of you, quit it," she ordered softly, her voice firm. "You guys might kill someone."

Amara relented first, and turned and stalked away. Darien remained there.

"And Darien, I still want you to stay away from me," Serena added.

Darien's eyes hardened, but he stalked over to his correct seat.

Serena sank into her seat with a sigh of relief. As she did so, she caught Taiki and Yaten looking at her with awe. She thought that they were thinking she was crazy to do what she'd done. It was that, in part, but mostly, they were actually marveling over the fact that, at a word from her, both of them had stopped. Both boys wondered exactly how she could control the two like that. It was eerie.

Mr. Hills walked in. He was oblivious, as usual, and promptly began collecting the homework. When Serena blushingly admitted that she didn't have it, he sent her straight to the detention room. Her classmates looked at her sympathetically. Most of them had seen how she had bravely stepped between Amara and Darien, and thought she deserved a break, considering she'd risked injury to stop a fight. Mina mouthed, 'Girl's Night,' proposing that they go out and soothe the pain of her humiliation. Serena nodded, and met her fate.

Needless to say, she was surprised when both Darien and Amara turned up in detention shortly after. The two glared at one another, and both sat on either side of her. One was looking to protect her, the other to ruin her. The good and the bad…along with the ugly atmosphere. It was a very uncomfortable position to be in; two immortals capable of taking out two armies by themselves with her, a fragile, mortal girl sitting between them. Both could easily kill her, and they were glaring daggers at each other over her head. The blonde lowered her head as much as possible, and tried to focus on deciphering her Pre-Calculus. She caught some of the other people in the room staring in their direction, and Serena blushed. This was so awkward! She wished someone would notice and help her, or that the earth would open up and swallow her.

The tension grew. Where was the adult who was supposed to be here? At the same time, both vampires growled, "Stay away from her."

"Crap," Serena whimpered as she felt both of them go tense on either side of her. She hoped that if they punched each other again, one of them wouldn't hit her on the head by accident. She lowered her head so much that her face was practically on the desk. She could feel the heat of their glares above her. She wished Seiya was here.

_Note: ++mean thought-speak_

+Odango?+ Seiya's voice spoke softly in her mind.

+Seiya? What..?+

+I can communicate with you through your thoughts. You're upset. What is it?+

+You're never going to believe this one. I'm in detention.+

+That's nothing new, Odango. You practically lived in detention in middle school.+

+Okay, if you're going to tease me, I guess you don't care that I'm sitting between two vampires who are glaring at each other right over my head!+

+What?+

+Yes. Darien is on one side. Amara is on the other. They can't stand each other, and I am stuck between them, and I can feel their glares over my head.+

+Oh, geez…Odango, how did you get into this mess?+

+I forgot to do my Pre-Calc for the third time this semester…and they sort of had a fight before class.+

+What happened?+

+Darien tried to sit next to me, and Amara told him to move. He said something kind of smart-alecky, and it went downhill from there. Taiki and Yaten tried to break it up; I was so scared they'd get hurt. I mean, they're strong, but a vampire could kill them.+

+What happened then?+

+I stepped between them and told them to stop.+

Dead silence. Then; +You _what_?+

+I stepped between them and told them to stop.+

+Odango, you could have been killed!+

+I know. I didn't think. But I was afraid Taiki and Yaten would get hurt! Besides, they stopped.+

+What if they hadn't?+

Serena didn't answer that.

+Please…just don't do that again. I couldn't stand it if you got hurt…or worse…+

+I know. But what about now? I can't really get up and move…they're so tense that I couldn't get up if I tried.+

Seiya was thinking hard; Serena could tell. Finally, he asked, +Can you excuse yourself to go to the bathroom? Once you're out, stay there. It's risky, but it's the best idea I can come up with.+

+Okay.+ Serena stood and excused herself, then disappeared into the hallways, praying no one would catch her. No one did. She spent the rest of the class period in a hallway the teachers never checked. Once the bell rang, she went back, grabbed her things, and ran to her next class.


	20. Chapter Nineteen: The Aftermath

**Chapter Nineteen: The Aftermath of Arrogance**

**Serena: **Something tells me this won't end well.

**Starlily11: **You're right. It won't.

**Serena: **What are you up to…?

Serena managed to get through that school day, despite the fact that Amara and Darien were still going strong in their loathing-fest. True to her word, Mina launched the Girl's Night plan into action, and the rest of the girls were completely sympathetic. Amy proposed that Serena take a break from studying…she needed to lower her stress level first. Lita was prepared to punch Darien's lights out, but Serena talked her out of it, saying it wasn't that bad. Rae suggested leaving them alone together and letting them kill each other, but Serena wasn't willing to do that. She despised Darien, but she'd become fond of Amara. She would happily let Darien die, she said, but she'd prefer not to lose a friend in the process. In the end, the Girl's Night was a success, and Serena went home feeling much less stressed out, and she could think about other things besides the ordeal in detention.

The next day, she came to school and promptly began to take round-about routes to her classes, trying to avoid running into Darien. For the first three classes, it did the trick. She didn't run into Darien, but she was late every time. After the third class, Lita took Serena's arm and dragged her straight to class. The brunette was royally sick of watching Serena squirm under Darien's attention, and she was tired of her friend getting in trouble because of her efforts to avoid the guy. While she was dragging Serena to their next class, she gave Darien a steely glare. Darien just smirked, shrugged, and sauntered off.

"Arrogant, pesky, egotistical jerk," the brunette muttered. "He needs to leave her alone; is he retarded?"

"What is it, Lita?" Serena asked, concerned.

Lita forced herself to smile, not wanting to upset the blonde. "I'm fine, Serena," she replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Come on."

"Okay…"

When they were walking out of class, the teacher asked Lita to stay behind for a few moments. She needed to talk to her. Lita told Serena to go on to her next class. Serena obeyed, watching for Darien so she could duck behind a wall if necessary. Unfortunately, she neglected to look ahead, and promptly walked directly into the person…er, vampire…that she most wanted to avoid. The blonde mentally screamed every swear word she could think of as she cursed her unlucky stars. Darien looked down and smiled charmingly. Serena gritted her teeth, and forced herself to return it. He might kill her if she ticked him off, she thought. She'd rather stay alive.

"Serena," Darien said, "We need to talk." He beckoned to her from an empty classroom. She walked in, and made sure the door remained open.

"What about?" she asked calmly. "About the fact that you've been stalking me and I'm sick of it? The fact that you could have killed someone yesterday when you and Amara started…_brawling_?"

"Why won't you give me a chance? Your boyfriend isn't here. He's left…he's probably lying dead in a ditch somewhere, or he's found someone else. I'll never do that to you."

'No, you're just going to turn me into a vampire and sentence me to eternal damnation,' she thought sarcastically. "You're wrong," she replied out loud. "I would know if something had happened. I would have felt it." She mentally cringed as she said that. Could she sound any more corny? Somehow, though, she knew that what she said was the truth.

"What if your heart is wrong?" Darien asked quietly, stepping closer to her. "The heart can be misleading."

"Not in my experience."

"You must feel something; otherwise you wouldn't be running from me."

'Oh, I feel something, but it isn't what you think!' she thought. "Have you ever considered that maybe I run because you scare me?"

"Is it me you fear, or do you fear what you feel?"

Serena stared at him in shock for a moment, and then her eyes narrowed. "Could you be any more of an egotist if you tried?" she asked."Do you _practice _being so obnoxious, or does it come naturally?"

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Serena made a noise through her teeth, and turned away. She was sick of this. Good grief, where on earth were Taiki and Yaten? She could use them right now! Darien grabbed her arm, and before she could pull away, he spun her around and kissed her full on the mouth. The blonde struggled, and managed to pull away. Then, gasping from fury, she did the very thing she'd told Lita not to do; she punched him in the face.

Pain seared through her hand, and she let out a sound that was somewhere between a yelp and a shriek. She cradled her hand, and tried to move the fingers. The fingers were all right, but her hand protested with a burst of terrible pain. She glared at Darien fiercely. Darien was smirking.

"I knew you felt something," he said.

"Go to hell," she hissed.

At that moment, Taiki walked in. He'd forgotten something. When he saw what was in front of him, he frowned. He could tell that Serena was extremely upset, and Darien was still arrogant and obnoxious. The chestnut-haired boy approached Serena, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Serena looked up, and tried to smile when she saw him, but Taiki wasn't fooled. He looked down, noticed her hand, which was starting to swell, and then realized that something must have happened. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

Serena glared at Darien. "Th-this…this…agh!" she was so upset that she couldn't speak.

Taiki examined her hand. It was broken. "Come on, let's see about this hand," he said. "That looks painful." He shot Darien an incredibly dirty look, and then took the blonde to the office. First, they went to the nurse, who confirmed that Serena's hand was indeed broken, and then Taiki signed them out so they could have the injured hand tended to. Once they were in the car, he asked, "What happened?"

"Darien seems to think that when I tell him 'no,' I mean 'yes'," Serena muttered. "That jerk _kissed me_!"

Taiki choked, shocked. He'd wondered if Darien would try that, but it was still a bit of a shock. He thought about it, considered the condition of Serena's hand, and put the pieces together. "You punched him, didn't you?" his voice was soft.

"Yeah, I did," Serena growled. "It didn't do me much good, though! It was like punching a brick wall that was reinforced with steel!"

"Ouch…well, it looks like you gave it your best shot. I'm proud of you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. You did what you had to do. I wish you hadn't gotten hurt, but these things happen. Next time, though, leave the punches to me or Yaten."

"Okay…" 'Good luck with that,' the blonde thought. 'He's a vampire; you'd end up in the same condition.'

They reached the hospital, and tended to Serena's injured hand. By the time it was in a splint, it was almost late evening. Yaten called, demanding to know what was going on. Taiki looked at Serena, not sure if she wanted him to give Yaten the details. Serena shrugged, indicating that it was okay to give him the whole story. Taiki explained what had happened, and then one could hear Yaten yelling from across the room. Serena laughed; she knew that Yaten was planning all sorts of horrible ways to kill Darien right now. But then she sobered as she realized that she was supposed to have gone to see Seiya this afternoon. As if on cue, Seiya's voice entered her thoughts.

+Odango, where are you?+ he asked. His voice was worried.

Serena decided to tell the truth, even though she knew Seiya would be very pissed. +Darien…he never lets up. He started harassing me again, and no matter what I said, he wouldn't leave me alone. Finally, I tried to leave, but he grabbed me…+ she stopped, unsure of how to continue.

+He grabbed you? What did he do?+ Seiya sounded like he was freaking out.

+He kissed me. I pulled away and punched him in the face.+

+What happened then?+ Seiya's voice was quiet now…dangerously so.

+I broke my hand. Punching him was like slamming my fist into a brick wall. Right now, I'm at the hospital getting it taken care of. Taiki walked in right after I punched Darien, and he brought me.+

+That bastard…+ Something in Seiya's voice alarmed Serena. She could tell that he was furious.

+Seiya, don't do anything stupid,+ she pleaded.

+I'm going to kill him.+

+No, Seiya!+ Serena was panicked; she couldn't let him do this. She couldn't lose him…not again. She felt her angel self awakening. +Don't…please! Please don't leave me!+

There was silence. Serena's heart went cold in her chest, and fear rose up on her like the waves of a tsunami about to crash down on an unsuspecting island. Finally, there was an answer.

+All right…I'll let it go this time. But if this happens again, I won't forgive him.+

+Okay. Thank you, Seiya.+ The glow that had begun to pour from her skin dimmed and disappeared, much to her relief. That could have been awkward.

+I love you, Odango.+

+I love you, too.+

Taiki finished his phone conversation with Yaten, and the doctor finished with Serena's hand. Taiki drove her home, where Serena again had to explain what had happened to her worried parents. Once that was done, Serena managed to take an awkward shower, took her pain meds, and lay down. Even so, she couldn't really sleep. She was too worried about Seiya. Something told her that he wouldn't let go of this so easily. Something banged against her window. She looked up. The sound repeated, and she got up, and looked for the source. Seiya was standing there. The blonde immediately opened the window.

Seiya was up there in an instant, and he pulled her into his arms, being careful not to jolt her hand. Tenderly, he kissed her lips, completely erasing Darien's mark on her. Serena rested her head against his chest, relaxing in his strong, gentle embrace. He was so warm…not at all like Darien, who was cold as ice. Gently, he looked at her injured hand, his deep blue eyes disturbed. She knew that he was thinking about how it could have been much worse. The blonde leaned more deeply into him, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart. A sudden memory came to her from the time before, when she'd heard that beautiful sound stop, when she'd seen his gorgeous eyes close for what would have been forever. Tears stung the backs of her eyes.

Her love seemed to realize what she was thinking about, because he gently raised her face to the light, and kissed the tears away. "I won't leave you again," he whispered. "That was why I didn't go after that leech. I couldn't bear to hurt you like that. I can't stand to see you cry."

Serena smiled, and Seiya moved in for another kiss. She accepted it, and prayed that there would come a time when they could both return to the light, when she wouldn't have to content herself with kisses stolen in the shadows, when there would be no more secrets and vampires.


	21. Chapter Twenty: The Circle Gets Bigger

**Chapter Twenty: The Circle Gets Bigger**

**Serena: **You love torturing me, don't you?

**Starlily11: **If I wanted to torture you, I would have done something a lot more creative than what I did.

Serena ended up missing the rest of the week because of her hand. She was bombarded with calls from her friends, wanting to know if she was all right. It turned out that Yaten had called Mina immediately after he'd hung up with Taiki, and he'd told her the whole story. Mina, ever incapable of keeping a secret, called all of the others up and repeated it. That led to Amy asking Taiki about it, and the chestnut-haired boy, unable to lie to his girlfriend, confirmed that it was true. When Serena returned to school the next week, no one left her alone. Everyone wanted to know if she was okay, to kick Darien's butt all the way to the next century, and generally make it impossible for Darien to do it again.

The most frightening part was explaining what had happened to Amara. Serena had told the story very calmly, and had tried to downplay it. Unfortunately, it didn't work. It was all Serena could do to keep Amara from starting another brawl. Luckily, Michelle was there to help. Amara could have probably ignored them if they spoke to her one at a time. However, her lover and Serena both talking to her at the same time was a whole new issue. Amara grudgingly agreed not to do anything stupid, and then all was quiet for a time.

That calm held for about another week. Then, it all came crashing down. It began on Saturday, when Serena walked into her room after having spent two hours helping her mother find a dress for some dinner party she had to go to with her dad. As soon as she walked in, she felt that something was wrong. Carefully, she scanned her surroundings, searching for anything that was off in any way. At first glance, it seemed that nothing was wrong. As she looked more closely, however, she noticed that a few things in her closet were missing. One of the items was a flowing sapphire blue dress that she'd worn to a dance she'd attended with Seiya.

+Seiya?+ she called with her mind.

+Yes, Odango?+

+Can you come by really quick? I think someone might have been in the house…they might still be there…+

+I'll be there shortly.+

Seiya was there in minutes. As soon as he reached the doorway to Serena's room, he knew that it was bad. His eyes narrowed as he caught the scent of a vampire. He recognized the stench; Darien had been here. The dark-haired boy absently pulled Serena closer to him as he determined whether or not the leech was still there. Serena saw his face and knew that something was wrong, but she chose not to press him. He would tell her when he was ready, she reasoned. In an effort to reassure him, she trailed her fingers down his back in a way that never failed to soothe him. It still worked. Seiya relaxed slightly, and he looked down at her, not sure what to say.

"It's Darien, isn't it?" she asked quietly. She could tell somehow, simply by the look on Seiya's face and the protective way he held her. "He was here, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Seiya answered. "What tipped you off that someone was here?"

"A few things are missing from my closet…"

Seiya felt his mouth go dry, and his stomach dropped. "What's missing?"

"The dress I wore to the winter formal last year, the matching pair of shoes, and…" she stopped, noticing that one of her dresser drawers was open. She walked over, and looked in. Her white lace nightgown was missing…the one she'd worn when she'd been with Seiya for the first time. As she realized this, she felt very strange, almost like she was floating. The next minute, she was on the floor with Seiya kneeling beside her, pale and shaking. Disoriented, she murmured, "What happened?"

"You fainted, Odango," Seiya replied quietly, his face ashen. "What is it?"

"He took one of my nightgowns…it was the one I wore that first night…" Serena struggled to sit up, and in doing so, she put pressure on her injured hand. She let out a yelp.

Seiya gently helped her to her feet. His face held a look of fear. Serena knew why. Neither of them spoke the reason aloud, but they both knew what was going on. This meant only one thing. Darien intended to carry Serena off. He had taken some of her things in preparation of that. Once he took her, he would force her and let her suffer through the torment of carrying a child and then the pain of labor. Once that was over, he would trap her in the night forever by changing her into a creature like himself. Serena clung to Seiya in a sudden burst of fear, and Seiya held her to him, trying to think of a way to prevent this from coming to pass. The two were so lost in thought that they didn't hear the door open. Therefore, both of them were completely taken by surprise when a somewhat strangled voice asked, "Seiya?"

Serena jumped at the sound, and found Yaten standing in the doorway. She mentally kicked herself as she remembered that it was fun night, when they all got together and did fun stuff. She'd been so completely consumed by panic over her situation that she'd completely forgotten about it. Now, they were in what could quickly become a nuclear explosion. The blonde and Seiya didn't dare look at one another, for fear they would set Yaten off. Yaten when he was emotional was the definition of a time bomb. Both stood there, waiting for Yaten to say something else. Serena was trying to think of a way to defuse the situation, which became worse when Taiki walked in. The chestnut-haired boy froze when he saw what Yaten was seeing, and his face became pale, with either temper or shock.

Seiya faced his brothers, not sure what was going to happen. He didn't like the look in their eyes; he didn't dare to speak. There was no telling what would set them off.

Finally, Yaten said, in a still-strangled sounding voice, "You're safe."

Seiya nodded.

"Serena…how long?" Yaten's voice was steady now, but any fool could tell that an explosion wasn't far off.

"How long what?" Serena asked quietly, in an equally steady tone.

"How long have you known he was safe?"

"A few weeks," Serena answered, telling the truth. Lying would only make it worse.

"I see," Taiki said gravely, his face unreadable. "Pray tell, when were you two planning on letting us know what was going on?"

"Believe me, I wanted to tell you guys…but I couldn't," Seiya's voice was soft, filled with regret. "Not even Serena knew at first…the only reason she knows is because…" he stopped.

"Because…" Yaten prompted.

"Something happened," Serena answered in a small voice. "I ran into some trouble…and Seiya saved me. He had to tell me; there was no other way. I was just as clueless for the longest time."

"Why keep us in the dark, then?" Taiki inquired.

"It isn't my place to tell you…it's really something that only Seiya can explain."

"Seiya, what the hell is going on?" Yaten asked. His voice had a sharp, deadly edge, soft though it was.

"It's a long story."

"We have all night," Taiki snapped.

"You have to swear that you will trust that every word that is spoken from now on is the truth as we know it," Serena said.

"Fine," Yaten answered. Taiki nodded his agreement, his eyes fixed on his youngest brother's face.

"This is going to sound crazy," Seiya began. "But Serena can vouch for me, and confirm I am not insane."

"Spit it out, Seiya," growled Yaten.

"I'm a werewolf. Yes, you hear me right. I said 'werewolf'. But Hollywood has it all wrong. I don't change every full moon, and I am in complete control of myself…usually. I'll get into the intricate stuff later. Furthermore, I didn't become a werewolf by being bitten. It's a genetic thing. The only reason I even know is because vampires are in town. Yeah, vampires exist, too. I only change when I lose control of my emotions…that can be avoided, though…" Seiya smiled at Serena, "Or I change willingly. That is only when a vampire attacks, or when I am hunting vampires."

Yaten and Taiki were both listening, eyebrows raised, but they didn't interrupt. Seiya wasn't sure that was a good sign.

"When I change, I generally am still human, except I'm in a wolf's body. However, if I were to get too emotional, I would unintentionally phase…change, and I would be a wild animal for a few minutes. In that time, I could seriously injure someone, or kill them."

"Serena?" Yaten asked, not really looking at Seiya.

"Yes?" Serena's voice was worried.

"Has my brother always been nuts?"

"He isn't crazy, Yaten. I've seen him phase. He's telling the truth."

"Okay…do you have any way to prove that?"

Serena turned to Seiya, who sighed. The blonde smiled. "Try not to destroy the carpet," she said with a wink. She turned to Taiki and Yaten, who were watching, still unreadable. "Guys, back up just a bit." The two obeyed, still quite dubious. Serena herself backed up a little, and nodded to Seiya. Seiya took a deep breath, and then his face took on a look of deep concentration, much like the one Taiki wore when he was helping Kakyuu do their taxes. After five seconds, it became clear that something was happening. Seiya phased easily, flawlessly, into his wolf form, and it was very clean…not so much like a mad scientist's experiment, but like an Animagus from Harry Potter.

Serena, used to this, seemed completely unperturbed. Yaten's mouth fell open. Taiki's eyes widened, and his usually stoic expression was replaced by one of utter shock. Serena walked over and lightly scratched the large black wolf behind the ears. The wolf actually wagged his tail, and Serena grinned. The two boys, however, were completely speechless.

"Wow…you weren't just messing with us," Yaten managed to say. "I'm pretty sure that Taiki saw this, and there's not really such a thing as mass instant insanity, so…this is real?"

+Yeah.+ Seiya's voice echoed in their minds.

"Seiya, don't go using telepathy without warning," Serena admonished gently.

"Holy crap…" Yaten whimpered. "My brother's a werewolf…does that mean Taiki, Kakyuu, and I are going to randomly sprout fur and turn into giant wolves?"

"No," Serena said. "It's just Seiya. He's the only one who got stuck with the werewolf gene."

"Thank God," Yaten sighed. Taiki, having recovered his wits slightly, smacked him upside the head.

"Yaten, focus," he admonished. "This could be bad. You mentioned vampires?" he looked at Seiya the wolf.

The wolf nodded, and turned back into Seiya. "Yeah," Seiya replied.

"Seiya, you need to tell them the rest," Serena said quietly.

"Which bit?" Seiya asked.

"The bit about who the alpha is…"

Seiya nodded. "Did I mention that Dad's alive, and that he's the alpha?"

Taiki and Yaten fell over. "No," Taiki replied. "You did not."

"Sorry…I didn't mean to dump all this on you."

"It's okay. I feel better knowing what's going on," Yaten replied. "It was just a shock."

"I know…I was pretty surprised, too."

"Did Dad disappear for the same reason you did?"

"Yeah."

"It all makes so much sense," Taiki mused. "And now we know what happened…"

"I know."

"So how did Serena find out?" Yaten asked.

Serena and Seiya exchanged looks. Finally, Serena asked, "Would you believe me if I said I was an angel?"

"Well, we just learned vampires and werewolves exist, so we could believe that. Where're your wings?"

Serena focused, and light flowed from her skin and hair, making her shine like a star. Her flowing white gown appeared, and her wings spread wide. Seiya looked at her lovingly, and Serena smiled as she felt her hand completely heal itself. She yanked the splint off to reveal a perfectly healed hand. She was relieved to rid herself of the thing. Taiki and Yaten, who had been thinking nothing could surprise them, stood in awe. After a moment, Serena reverted back to her human self, and tossed the splint aside.

"That still doesn't answer my question," Yaten said finally.

"Someone hired a guy to kill me," Serena said. "No one knows who. He forced me to go into the woods at gunpoint, and I knew I was going to die. So I found a way to get my hands on a rock, and I threw that, and it hit. I ran then, and kept going until I tripped over a tree root. He caught up, and started shooting. The first hit a tree, and the second grazed my arm. The third time, he got me in the side. I fell, and thought I was done for. He was about to kill me, and then Seiya came. He knocked out the one who was going to kill me, and your dad came along shortly after. He pulled the bullet out, and that was when I first found out I was an angel."

"It was amazing." Seiya's voice was quiet. "I thought I was going to lose her, and then she took on her angelic form. Her wound healed completely, and Dad told us what was going on. It turns out that Serena and I were lovers in a past life."

"Wow," Yaten and Taiki both said that one word at the same time.

"I know."

"So what about the vampires?"

"Well, one group is led by an evil leech named Darien."

Yaten choked. "There's a guy at school with that name. He's also Serena's stalker."

"That's the guy," Serena answered.

Taiki nodded, understanding. "What does Darien want?"

"Me," Serena answered grimly. "He wants to make me his bride."

"Ugh, that stinks! Good thing Seiya's here!"

"This guy's pretty smart," Seiya stated. "He's escaped me before, and he's got too many minions to fight me off."

"He wants to force me to give him vampire babies and then turn _me _into a vampire!" Serena worried.

"He intends to turn an angel into a demon," Taiki thought aloud. "It's weirdly poetic, in an extremely maudlin sort of way."

"It's twisted," the two lovers chorused.

"No kidding," Yaten agreed. "Still, what can he do while Seiya's here?"

"He could kill Seiya, and you guys. He's also broken in and made off with a few things."

"That's creepy."

"I know. Now listen, guys…you can tell Kakyuu about this, but let's keep the circle small, okay? The larger the number of people who know gets, the more danger we're all in. This town is crawling with vampires, and if they knew we were on to them…it wouldn't be pretty."

"We get it," Yaten told her. "We keep it quiet."

"Good."

Seiya was clearly using telepathy; he hadn't heard a word. He was focused on what was going on.

"Seiya, does the pack need you?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, they do," Seiya sighed. "I've got to go."

"I'll see you soon?"

"Definitely. Bye, guys." Seiya started to leave, but was stopped by Yaten.

The silver-haired boy clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Be careful, idiot. I just learned you're okay. I don't want to hear that you went and got yourself killed or seriously injured."

Seiya grinned. "I'll be careful," he answered. "See you, bro." In an instant, he was gone.


	22. Chapter Twenty One: Family Meeting

**Chapter Twenty One: Family Meeting**

**Serena: **You're on something…no one could possibly come up with this nutty story without help from drugs.

**Starlily11: **Nah, I've just been eating too many cookies.

**Serena: **Oh, no…my life is in the hands of a junk food junkie!

Taiki and Yaten returned home that night feeling like their heads were about to explode. Their brother was a werewolf, their brother's girlfriend was an angel, and vampires were taking over their hometown. It was like a bad novel. The two wanted to believe it was a hallucination, but they knew what they'd seen. As crazy as it was, it was true. At least they knew what was going on, and that Seiya was all right. He'd been his usual cocky self, except with much shorter hair. Yaten and Taiki were both thinking the same thing, but they'd never admit it. They were somewhat relieved that they weren't werewolves; their hair was a point of pride to both of them. The thought of cutting it was a source of unconscious horror for them.

The two boys walked into the house with a sense of worry; how were they going to tell Kakyuu what was going on? The whole thing was unbelievable, but they'd seen in with their own eyes. How were they going to convince Kakyuu that they weren't completely crazy? It wasn't like they could just yank Seiya in here and tell him to transform. They had no idea where he was; just that he was somewhere in the wilderness. They knew that they needed to fill Kakyuu in; their sister hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since Seiya had disappeared. Still, how would they convince her that they weren't just messing around or that they weren't both totally bonkers?

"Taiki? Yaten? Is that you?" Kakyuu called.

"Yeah, sis, we're home!" Yaten replied.

Their red-headed sister joined them in the living room. "Did you have a nice time?"

"It was very…interesting," Yaten answered.

"Informative," Taiki added.

Kakyuu looked at her brothers searchingly. "Oh? How so?"

The two squirmed, and looked down, not sure how to begin. Finally, Taiki made a request. "Will you trust us, no matter how odd it may sound?"

Kakyuu smiled. "I will."

"Seiya's a werewolf," Yaten blurted. "And so's Dad." Taiki shot him a dirty look. 'Nice going, Yaten!' he thought. 'Way to get us committed!'

Kakyuu raised her eyebrows, and turned her eyes to Taiki's face. "Taiki?" she asked.

"I know it sounds like Yaten has lost his mind, but he's telling the truth," the chestnut-haired boy stated. "We saw him transform with our own eyes."

"How, pray tell, did you learn this?"

"We found Serena in her room with him. It was definitely Seiya," Yaten explained.

"Serena knew about this?"

"Yeah, she figured Seiya ought to be the one who told us. It makes sense, considering how crazy the truth is. She wouldn't have been able to prove it if he hadn't been there."

Kakyuu's face was unreadable. "Was Seiya all right?"

"Yeah. I'm not too crazy about what he did to his hair, though."

"Yaten!" Taiki grumbled. "Seiya's hair is not the issue! The vampires are the problem!" Despite his words, Taiki knew how Yaten felt. Off-handedly, he wondered what Serena thought.

"What did Seiya do to his hair?" Kakyuu asked calmly, seeing that this topic had to be covered before the vampires were explained.

"He cut it," Taiki sighed. "I guess that living in the woods with long hair would be difficult. Yaten seems to think the world's ending."

"I don't think that!" Yaten snapped. "It's just weird!"

"Shouldn't we tell our sister about the vampires now?"

"Oh, right…" Yaten blushed. "The reason Seiya even went all wolfy in the first place is because a bunch of vampires moved in. The same goes for Dad. Werewolves keep the bloodsuckers from taking over the world and killing us all. You know Serena's stalker, Darien? He's a vampire, and he wants to basically rape Serena, force her to give him little vamp babies and then turn her into a vampire."

"That is horrible by itself," Taiki added. "But made even worse by the fact that Serena is an angel. It goes completely against the laws of nature to turn a holy being into a demon."

Kakyuu blinked, but said nothing for several minutes. Taiki and Yaten shifted nervously. Both watched their sister, looking for some clue as to what she was thinking. They could find nothing; her face was positively unreadable. Finally, she inquired, "Are you quite serious about this?"

"Yes," Taiki responded. "I wouldn't be telling you this if I wasn't completely serious and absolutely certain. Neither would Yaten."

Kakyuu was silent for a long time. Finally, she said, "I believe you. I can see that you both honestly believe what you're saying, and I know that you two can't possibly have lost your wits at the same time. Therefore, I trust that you are telling the truth."

Both brothers heaved a sigh of relief. She wasn't going to call the men in the white coats. She believed them. "You can't tell anyone," Yaten warned. "Seiya might get hurt if this gets out. So would Serena. Something tells me that a bunch of people in this town would think werewolves pose a threat, and that they would hurt Serena for her power."

"I understand. I intend to remain silent."

"Okay."


	23. Chapter Twenty Two: Desperation

**Chapter Twenty Two: Desperation**

**Serena: **What are you going to do now?

**Starlily11: **(singing) You'll see…

**Darien's Manor, Sometime around Midnight**

Kunzite moved silently through the halls of the place he was forced to call home for the time being. He was very careful not to behave suspiciously; he could tell that Darien was on to him and Beryl. The warrior had noticed Darien's eyes on the two of them many times. Come to think of it, Zoisite had looked somewhat triumphant. Zoisite couldn't be trusted, then. Kunzite was extremely careful to look casual; he didn't want to give Darien a reason to kill him. It was a wonder he hadn't acted yet, if he knew what he and Beryl had attempted to do. Kunzite shuddered at the thought of Darien's wrath, and dove into the room where he was to meet with Beryl.

Beryl awaited him. Her face was filled with anger, a small amount of fear, and desperation. Both of them felt a large amount of irritation. Their master had clearly realized that the girl had no interest in him. Unfortunately, this didn't mean that he'd given up. Oh, no, definitely not…instead, he'd made up his mind to carry her off. Darien had broken into her home and brought back the dress she'd been wearing in the picture of her that he had, and a white, lacey nightgown. They'd both smelled the faint scent of roses and lavender on him when he'd returned. Beryl was positively mad with jealousy and fear of losing her man. Both of them wanted their lord to give this girl up, and they were desperate.

"Kunzite, we need to act quickly," Beryl stated.

"I know, Beryl, but our last plan failed. What do you suggest we do? I, for one, do not want to die again until it is absolutely unavoidable."

"We kidnap her, kill her, and destroy her remains. No one need know that she died. She could have just gone missing like the girls our master feeds from."

"How would we kill her?"

"Any way is possible. We could snap her neck, she could take a knife to the heart, or we could make a meal of her."

"And what would we do with the body?"

"Bury it deep in the wilderness…the worms and vermin would dispose of her then."

That was a fairly solid plan. But what if someone heard her screams? Kunzite inquired about this.

"She won't have time to scream. We will come up behind her, and kill her without her even turning around."

"In broad daylight? No, I don't see that working, Beryl. I propose this; we drug her, take her to a deserted area, and kill her then. Then, there will be no chance of her escaping, and we will not be caught."

Beryl thought for a moment. "You're right, Kunzite. Very well, we shall do just that." The red-haired woman smiled. Kunzite tried not to be unnerved; even so, her smile was that of a madwoman. It was impossible not to fear her.

**Bruton High School, Early Afternoon**

Serena endured another day of school. She was dying to get home so she could take her place in Seiya's arms again. She had gone so long without him; she didn't want to lose a second with him. If it weren't for the fact that Taiki insisted she go to school and the fact that her mother would become suspicious, she would miss school altogether and spend the day in Seiya's protective, tender embrace. The blonde carefully stepped around Darien, carefully avoiding looking him in the eyes, and entered her last class of the day. She could feel Darien's eyes lingering on her, but she chose to ignore him, and smiled as Amara placed herself in a position to block her from Darien's view.

The period came and went, and Serena left the building, moving as fast as she could so she would miss no time with Seiya. The blonde moved so quickly it seemed as if she would take flight any time then, and some people turned to look. For a moment, they thought they saw a flash of white feathers, but quickly dismissed it. Serena reached the parking lot, and began to rummage in her purse for her keys. As she did so, she allowed her mind to wander, and Seiya's laughing, loving face shone brightly as a star in her mind. A cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose. The girl struggled, and tried not to breathe, but her survival instincts won, and she sank into darkness.

**Unknown Time and Place**

Serena opened her eyes, feeling like all of the strength had been drained from her. She was moving; that much she knew. And she was moving ridiculously fast. She could feel the wind slashing her skin, a sign of whiplash. It hurt. The girl wondered how long she'd been out, and wondered what time it was. She could barely see; only colors swirled in her vision, she could not pick out any shapes or important details. Whatever drug had been used on her, it made it impossible to think clearly. The blonde wanted to cry. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew it was bad. She was scared, and she wished she could see. Blinding light flashed in her eyes, and she let out a whimper. It was so bright…it hurt. The girl knew she should struggle, but her body would not respond to her commands.

Faintly, Seiya's voice called to her. +Odango?+

It was Seiya…how did she reply? She couldn't think clearly…she couldn't remember how to respond.

+Odango!+ Seiya's voice was alarmed now.

Seiya's voice shouldn't sound so frightened, it was wrong…the blonde struggled to remember how to answer. Her mind was so clouded…she couldn't do anything!

+ODANGO!+ Seiya's voice was now an anguished, fearful shout, laced with agony. The pain in it cut Serena like a sword.

+Sei…ya...+ That faint whisper was all the blonde could manage. She felt so weak, and darkness threatened to take her again. Serena struggled against it, and she felt her body move. Someone slapped her sharply, and it broke her focus. The blonde sank again into oblivion.

**Somewhere in the Wilderness, Early Evening**

Seiya tore through the wilderness, fear tearing at his heart. He'd felt a force tugging at him, telling him that his angel was in danger. He'd called to her through their mental connection, and gotten no answer the first two times. The third, when he'd practically screamed, he'd only gotten a faint whisper. Something was terribly wrong. The boy phased back to his human form and ran to Serena's house. She hadn't made it home. The raven-haired boy felt a sense of terrible panic rushing over him. Darien had taken her…his worst nightmares had come true. He'd failed to protect his angel, and now he would lose her. Seiya phased back into his wolf form.

Cool it, man, he told himself silently. Losing it won't help. Seiya forced himself to calm down, and tried to think carefully. He couldn't lose Serena. She was his light from heaven, she was his everything! If he didn't calm down and think carefully, he would certainly lose her. He quietly called to her in his mind, and moved down the connection. He came into contact with some sort of interference. She wasn't blocking him; it was something else. Her mind was hazy, like she'd been drugged. Seiya's heart froze in his chest. His Odango was completely unable to defend herself or escape now. Whatever Darien had used on her was crazily strong.

A faint, vampiric scent reached his nose, along with the faint scent of roses and lavender. He knew that sweet, soft floral scent. His angel was somewhere…he had to follow the trail. Hopeful now, Seiya followed the two scents, and cursed as he came to a lake. The leech had covered his tracks. He could no longer trace Serena or her captor. In desperation, Seiya swam through the lake, all the way to the other side. It was no use; the scent was gone. Seiya let out a howl. He'd lost the one thing that mattered more to him that life itself.

**Unknown Time and Location**

Serena heard a faint howl in the distance, and tears spilled from her eyes. Her heart of hearts told her it was Seiya. Seiya had searched for her, and he was close, but he couldn't find her. Now, he was grieving and in pain. All because of her. The blonde let out a sob. She was still moving, but more slowly now. Eventually, they stopped. She could also think again, but she couldn't move at all. Nor could she find enough strength to call to Seiya with her mind. Even so, she had to try. She tried to call out, but she couldn't do it. She could think, but whatever she'd been drugged with was making it impossible for her to mentally call Seiya for help.

"Beryl, I think she's awake," a man's voice said.

"No matter. She'll be dead soon enough. The drug we used on her will last for hours. She can cry and whimper, but she won't have the strength to struggle or scream. She can't even really speak," a woman's cold voice replied.

Serena felt a sense of relief. Darien wasn't carrying her off, then. That relief turned into horror as she processed what the woman had said. Whoever had taken her was going to kill her. The girl let out another sob, and more tears spilled from her eyes. She was going to die. And this time, she couldn't even attempt to run. Someone lifted her, and cold wind chilled her skin.

"Beryl, I feel like a pervert," the man whined. "Why do we have to undress her?"

"So we can burn the clothing. If she's wearing anything, it might slow down the decomposition process. Furthermore, if someone were to dig, they might find something and be able to identify it."

Serena tried to call up her angel powers, but they weren't responding, still unawake because of the drug. She sobbed quietly…she didn't want to die like this. She just wanted to be with Seiya. Was that such a crime? She wanted nothing to do with Darien. All she wanted was to be with the man she loved. But life wasn't allowing her that. The girl let her tears fall, wishing that by some divine power, she could be saved. Her captors continued to remove her clothes from her body, and her vision still refused to cooperate and give her a clear picture. She tried to do something, move her finger, something… she managed to bend a knee.

"Beryl, are you sure that drug is working?"

The person named Beryl snapped, "Yes. It's just a reflex."

Serena knew she was completely naked now. She was tossed onto a cold, rough surface. It had to be a rock. It just had to be. The rock scratched her skin, and she whimpered. She tried to call Seiya again.

+Seiya…+ her thought-speak voice came out as a whimper.

+Odango! Where are you?+

+They're going to kill me…+ Serena heard a rustling sound, like plastic. They were putting her clothes somewhere. Her vision was clearing slightly.

+Who?+

+I don't know,+ she whispered. +Seiya, please, help me!+

+Where are you?+

+I don't know…somewhere in the woods, near water, I think. Can't you use our connection?+

+It was blocked last time I tried.+

+Try again. Please,+ the blonde begged.

There was silence for a moment. Then; +I have your location. I'm coming.+

+Hurry!+ Serena sobbed even harder. She still couldn't move, and even though her vision was a little better, everything was still all blurry. She could feel cold metal being pressed against her throat. She didn't have to see to know it was a blade; she could feel the sharp edge digging into her skin. The blond whimpered.

"Goodbye, girl. Now Darien will forget about you."

Serena's mind went blank. This person knew Darien, but why was she doing this? The blade was lifted, but Serena felt the air be disturbed as it came slashing down. She felt a stab of pain as the metal dug into her skin, and she felt blood rising in her throat. Tears spilled from her eyes as she realized that this was the end. She'd called to Seiya, but he hadn't gotten here in time. The blood rose up, choking her. She coughed, and gasped, fighting it, but it was so strong…

A roar rang in her ears, and Serena heard her male captor scream, and the sound of muscle tearing echoed. Heat spread across her skin, and she smelled smoke. What was going on? The sound of a struggle continued, and the one called Beryl screamed. The smell of smoke grew stronger. Arms lifted her, and Serena heard Seiya's breath catch in his throat. Darkness shrouded her eyes, blocking out the colors. Death was near. The blonde felt her breath slow, and closed her eyes.

"O-Odango…" Seiya's voice was choked by sobs.

"Oh, God…" Sean's voice was appalled. "What did they do?"

"They killed her," Seiya whispered. His voice rose. "THEY KILLED HER!"

The pain in Seiya's voice was too much. Serena once again called on her powers, and felt them stir, even as Death leaned down to take her to his dark kingdom. No, he couldn't have her. Not yet. Serena used what was left of her strength to keep Death away, and continued to draw upon her power. Warmth spread through her, and some strength returned to her. She felt a soft, tickling sensation in her throat, and felt the blood disappear from her airway. She had to keep going; she couldn't stand hearing Seiya cry. She felt his tears splashing down on her.

"I'm so sorry," Seiya whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you…" He was holding her close to him, and his lips brushed her forehead.

Serena was puzzled. Was she glowing, or were her powers only flowing on the inside? Surely Seiya would notice if she was shining…didn't he know she would never leave him?

"Don't worry, love, I'll be with you soon," Seiya murmured into her hair. He gently laid her down, and Sean's voice filled with fear.

"Seiya, don't do it, man. Don't do it."

Serena felt her heart miss a beat. Seiya was going to take his own life. She had to stop him! She struggled to get her lips to move, to make a sound. "Seiya…" it was only a faint whisper. She had to be louder.

"Seiya, don't do it!" Sean yelled.

"Seiya, don't…" Serena said in a normal volume, but Seiya was lost in grief. He didn't hear her. But Sean did.

"Seiya, she's alive!" Sean shouted. "She spoke…she knows what you're about to do!"

Only sobs could be heard.

"DON'T DO IT!" Serena screamed, breaking her silence. "PLEASE, DON'T!"

**AN: **I know; I'm evil.


	24. Chapter Twenty Three: A Little Help?

**Chapter Twenty Three: A Little Help?**

**AN: **This is a birthday present for Seiya-Serena-fan18. Happy Birthday!

Seiya pressed the blade of the knife that had been used to kill the love of his life to his own throat, prepared to die. Why should he hesitate? There was nothing left to live for now…the one thing that he loved more than anything else was gone, dead at the hands of two filthy leeches. Those monsters were dead now, but it couldn't return Serena to him. He ignored Sean's shouts at him not to do it, tuned out the mental commands of his father to think before he did this. He didn't care anymore…Serena was dead, lost to him forever. Sobbing, he prepared to drag the blade across his throat. I'll be there soon, Odango, he thought.

A voice that was achingly familiar screamed, "DON'T DO IT! PLEASE, DON'T!" The scream was filled with so much pain and terror that it made Seiya freeze.

The raven-haired boy paused, and looked around him. That voice…it couldn't be…he looked back at Serena's blood-covered form. The blonde was still covered in blood, but her chest was rising and falling visibly. Tears spilled from her closed eyes. Seiya flung the knife away from him with a cry. He gathered his angel into his arms, scarcely able to believe that this was real. Tenderly, he stroked the beautiful face of the girl he loved, and knew that it wasn't a hallucination. Her skin was warm and soft beneath his hand, and he could feel every breath she took. "Odango," he whispered.

"Don't do it, please, Seiya!" she whimpered.

"I won't," he told her softly. "I promise you, I won't." He cradled the blonde in his arms, and carefully examined the damage that had been done. Lacerations graced her back from where those brutes had flung her down on the rock, and blood stained her neck, chest, and abdomen. She was naked; the leeches had stripped her to make sure no one would be able to identify her remains. Well, they'd failed. Miserably. A miracle had taken place and made sure his Odango was still here in his arms. Gently, Seiya began to wipe some of the blood from her skin. "Did they hurt you?" he asked. "What did they do?"

"Th-they dr-drugged me, and they s-s-slit my throat," Serena whispered. Her speech was badly slurred. "I-I'm s-s-so cold!"

Seiya looked to Sean, whose face was pale. The other boy was weak with relief. "Can you find her clothes?" Seiya asked him.

Sean nodded, his eyes looking at Serena with awe. Seiya gave him a 'she's mine,' look. Sean blushed, and disappeared for a few moments. When he returned, he had the bag that contained Serena's clothing. Seiya took it, and set it down, not sure what to do. He'd been with Serena, but it was still awkward to think about dressing her. Lightly, he touched her face. "Can you move at all?" he asked.

Serena tried to move, but she couldn't get much motion going. Her eyes remained closed.

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

"I can't see…everything's all blurry…"

"Open them."

Serena obeyed, and Seiya could see a problem. The blonde girl's eyes were unfocused, and glazed over. Whatever those leeches had used on her, it had done quite a bit of damage. Seiya felt lost. He wished someone with medical knowledge was here; maybe they could figure out what to do…Taiki. The raven-haired boy smacked himself. Why hadn't he thought of calling his older brother sooner? If anyone would know what to do, it was Taiki. Seiya asked Serena if he could use her phone, and Serena said of course, so he dialed the right number, and waited.

"Hello?" Taiki asked.

"Hey, Taiki, it's me."

"Seiya? How do you have Serena's phone? Where is she?"

"That's the thing…something's happened, and I need your help. Can you get to the woods?"

"Yeah, sure…what happened?"

"Vampires again…Serena's banged up, and whatever they drugged her with, it did a real number on her."

"I'll be there. Where are you?"

"Somewhere near the lake. We're on the west shore. I can see water from here."

"Okay. What did this drug do to Serena?"

"It's messed up her vision, and she can't really move. She's also having trouble talking."

"Uh-oh…okay, you need to listen to me very carefully. Do not, under any circumstances, let her go to sleep. She could slip into a coma. Keep her warm, make sure she stays awake. Talk to her."

"All right. Hurry, will you?"

"I am. I'll be there soon." Taiki hung up.

Seiya held Serena gently, rubbing his hands over her shoulders to keep her warm. The blonde's eyes fluttered closed. "No, Odango, don't," he told her softly. Lightly, he stroked her face. She moaned. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "You can't go to sleep. You might not wake up."

Serena's skin was turning cold. Seiya removed his shirt and put it on her, and continued to hold her. The blonde rested her cheek on his chest, smiling contentedly. Seiya rubbed her back, applying just enough pressure to keep her awake, but not so much it hurt her. He wondered how long it would take his brother to get here. Serena snuggled more deeply into him, and Seiya smiled. The dark-haired boy continued to gently rub her shoulders, arms, and legs, trying to keep her warm. Fortunately, Taiki showed up. The chestnut-haired boy froze when he saw Serena.

"Oh, my God," he gasped. "What did they do?"

"They killed her," Sean replied. "But somehow, she managed to resurrect herself."

"No, I just healed myself," Serena mumbled.

"Did you use your angel powers?' Seiya asked.

"Mm-hm. Can I go to sleep now?"

"Sorry, Serena," Taiki said with a faint smile."We need to get rid of this drug in your system first."

"What is it, anyway?" Seiya asked.

"It's a kind of knockout drug that they sometimes use for surgery. You have to be really careful with it; an overdose could result in symptoms like what Serena has, and possibly death."

"These idiot vampires had no clue what they were doing," Sean observed.

"Well, at least we killed them," Seiya shrugged.

"Didn't they work for Darien?" Sean wondered. "I swear I saw the redhead the first time we ran into Darien."

"Yeah, they worked for Darien…" Serena mumbled. "But they wanted me dead."

"Why?"

"I dunno…"

Taiki asked, "Serena, can you use a little more of your power to reduce the amount of the drug in your system? If you can do that, you can sleep."

Serena nodded, and focused. She felt the weariness slip away, and was able to move much more freely. She was still weak, but she could move, and her vision was still a little blurry around the edges, but she could see again. With Seiya's help, she managed to get her clothes back on. The girl let him carefully clean the rest of the blood off of her, and had to be carried to the car. Mercifully, her parents were out, and Seiya managed to get her into her bed with no fuss. As he turned to leave, Serena asked, "Seiya, can you stay with me for a few minutes?"

"Mm-hm," he replied. And lay down next to her. He held her until she was fast asleep. Then, as quietly as a shadow, he slipped out.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four: Promises

**Chapter Twenty Four: Promises**

**AN: **Sorry it's been so long since I updated; I had a competition last weekend, and then I had to go to a wedding. These days, weekends are supposed to be my R&R times.

Serena woke up the next morning feeling like crap. She moaned; her throat hurt like mad, and there wasn't any part of her body that didn't ache and feel heavy as lead. She just wanted to die. Her alarm went off, but the blonde didn't even try to turn the thing off; she was too tired. Whatever those vampires yesterday had given her, it had some nasty after-effects. The girl lay there quietly, not wanting to get up. Her alarm continued to beep, but she didn't care. All she wanted was sleep, and something to ease the scratchy feeling in her throat. The alarm kept beeping, and no force in the universe was enough to make the girl get up and make it stop. She closed her eyes with a sigh, knowing that it would be a long time before the irritating noise would let up.

A soft noise reached her hearing, and the alarm was turned off. Suddenly worried, the blonde opened her eyes. She smiled as she saw who was there. It was Seiya. "Hey, stranger," she said, her voice husky.

"I'm glad I came," he informed her. "You look wiped out." Gently, he lifted her into his arms, his eyes looking down at her lovingly.

"I feel like death warmed over," the blonde admitted. "Thanks for turning that annoying thing off."

"I knew you'd be wanting to sleep in, and I know how much you hate your alarm."

The girl snuggled more deeply into her love's strong, protective embrace. She rested her cheek on his chest. He tenderly smoothed her hair from her face, and he slipped a finger under her chin and raised her face to the light, and kissed her softly. Serena didn't break the kiss, wanting this moment to last forever. She felt so safe now; nothing else mattered. All of the dangers she faced, all of her problems…they melted away in that moment, replaced by the image of Seiya's face, and thoughts of him and only him.

Seiya eventually forced himself to end the kiss. He still needed to make sure Serena wasn't suffering any late-timed ill effects from the attack on her last night. He examined the cuts and scratches on her back, wincing. He would have to guard Serena much more closely…he'd nearly lost her. He shuddered at the memory of those terrible moments, at the memory of seeing his angel lying there bleeding and naked on that rock. Serena sensed his unease, and looked sweetly up at him. The feel of her in his arms, the sight of her cerulean eyes twinkling up at him, reminded him what he had to lose, and he swore that he would find a way to get rid of Darien once and for all.

"Good morning," he told her softly.

"Good morning," she replied. "Or at least it would be." Her voice was still husky.

"Does your throat hurt?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Does anything help?"

"Yeah…hot salt water."

"That sounds disgusting."

"Not to drink…to gargle."

"I don't get it."

"It doesn't sound right, I know, but my mom made me do it one time. It actually helps."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Seiya returned in minutes, glass of hot salt water in hand. Serena took it, and sipped it, gargling it before letting it go all the way down. She grimaced at the taste, but her voice was less husky when she spoke again.

"Seiya?"

"Yes, Odango?"

"When do you think Darien's going to try and kidnap me?"

Seiya was silent for a minute. Finally, he answered, "I don't know."

"Do you think he'd kill me if I tried to escape?"

"No, I don't. That would defeat his purpose for being here. But he could seriously hurt you, and that's what I'm afraid of."

"I'm an angel, Seiya. I can heal myself."

"I know…but I don't want him to find out about what you can do. There's no telling what would happen then."

"Maybe he'll get so scared he'll run away screaming."

"No…I don't think he knows the meaning of fear. He would find a way to use you." Seiya unconsciously tightened his hold on his angel at the thought. There was no way he'd let that monster hurt her. He would die before he'd let that happen. As long as she existed, he would protect her with his life. She was his everything…if he lost her, he would lose his reason for living.

"Make me a promise."

"What kind of promise?"

"Promise me that no matter what happens, you won't leave me. Promise me that you won't die. That you won't leave me like…before…"

Seiya knew what she was asking. She was asking him to promise not to die protecting her. She was asking him to step aside and let her be harmed to save his own life. He couldn't do that. "Do you know what you're asking me to do?" he asked. "I couldn't do that."

"I couldn't stand it if I lost you. I lost you once, and all I wished for was death. If I lose you now, I know I'll get my wish."

"How about I promise you that I will never leave your side? As long as you are in danger, I will always be there, even if you can't see me?"

"I guess that's okay…"

"I promise that I will never let you out of my sight, that I will always be with you, even in your darkest hour."

"I promise I won't let you die."

Seiya looked at Serena with a stab of fear. She'd just promised to die for him. Did she have any idea what she was saying? "Odango…"

"I know what I'm saying. And I mean it."


	26. Chapter Twenty Five: Scheming

**Chapter Twenty Five: Scheming**

**AN: **Yay, I can finally write again! Enjoy!

Darien watched with growing frustration for a chance to seize his prize. Unfortunately, he'd underestimated the wolves. He wished that Jadeite the Moron had mentioned that his future bride's lover was a werewolf. If he'd known that, he would have annihilated the entire pack the moment he'd arrived. Because of Jadeite's idiocy, Serena was now almost impossible to get to. Coupled with Amara and Michelle's near-constant presence, he would be lucky to even say a word to the girl. Not that that had really been effective; Serena had rebuffed his advances time and time again. Well, she would soon change her mind, once he carried her off. Hate could turn to love; he'd seen it happen with mortals for centuries. Two people could hate one another on sight, but as time passed, loathing turned to liking, and liking to love. Yes; Serena would not resist him forever. Of that, he was sure.

The prince of darkness continued to watch Serena and observe the pack, searching for an opening. He wondered what had caused them to tighten their guard so. Furthermore, he was wondering where Beryl and Kunzite were. He hadn't seen them in days. Should he be concerned, he wondered briefly. He pushed that thought from his mind. Beryl and Kunzite had forgotten who their master was. If they were dead, they'd brought it on themselves. At least he still had Zoisite; Zoisite was the only one of his minions who actually possessed a brain. Darien considered himself to be a fairly reasonable and tolerant vampire, but two things he could not stand were disloyalty and stupidity. He endured it, but it was highly stressful. Zoisite was quite refreshing. He was absolutely loyal, and he could actually carry on an intelligent conversation.

The vampire sighed; this was beginning to bug him. He wasn't used to not being able to take what he wanted when he wanted it. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. He hoped this wasn't permanent. Was it possible…? No. He would not allow himself to be thwarted by a bunch of mere dogs. He would find a way to take his bride, and when he did, everyone would realize that he was unbeatable, and utterly dauntless. Nothing could stop him once he pursued something. It was time for everyone to learn that. Still…this was quite the puzzle…a knock sounded at the door. It was Zoisite.

"Come in, Zoisite," he commanded.

Zoisite entered, and the white-haired man was clearly disturbed. "My lord," he said, bowing low. "I bring disturbing news."

"What's happened?"

"Beryl and Kunzite are dead…slain by werewolves."

Darien was taken aback. Admittedly, those two were stupid, but they had also been two of his finest warriors. Clearly, the dogs had learned a thing or two. This was definitely not a good development. Darien didn't like it. Even so, he hid his concern and held his look of apathy. It would not do to show that he was nervous, even with Zoisite. No one could suspect weakness on his part; it would end badly. "Oh? How?"

"They attempted to slay your bride. And they nearly succeeded. I don't know how the wolves managed to find her, but they did, and they were not pleased about it. "

Darien's eyes turned cold. His own warriors had tried to thwart his plans? The outlook was looking worse by the minute. He wished that Beryl and Kunzite had survived, merely so he could have the pleasure of killing them himself. Unfortunately, the wolves had taken that pleasure from him. "Damn them," he muttered.

Zoisite heard. "Not only that," he added, "But they came dangerously close to success."

If Darien's heart had still been able to beat, it would have stopped briefly. Even so, he felt cold. Fortunately, he kept his face by remembering the fact that he had seen Serena just today, and she had appeared fine. Zoisite was speaking as though the events had happened longer ago. "She seemed fine today," he remarked.

"That is the disturbing part. I have spoken with some of the wildlife in your service, and it appears that Beryl and Kunzite actually did manage to slit her throat, but she somehow healed herself. She possesses a great deal of power. It seems that your bride is more than a mere human."

Darien thought for a moment. This was a new twist. Still, it could easily be beneficial. It was highly possible that she could make him invincible. If she could bring herself away from the brink of death, there was a chance she could do much more. The possibilities were infinite. If only he could find a way to her…he had it. The vampire smiled capriciously as he came upon the perfect plan. The wolves were not undead; it was necessary for them to breathe.

It was simple, really. All he had to do was spread a gas to the entire pack that would incapacitate them. Once that was done, he would take his bride and slip away, a thief in the night. No one could stop him then. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? Darien turned to Zoisite, the smile still on his face. "Zoisite?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Find me a gas that will knock out the dogs for a good number of hours…I'll take her some night this week."

"As you wish." Zoisite bowed, and left the room.

Darien smiled; it was good to be him.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six: A Thief in the Night

**Chapter Twenty Six: A Thief in the Night**

**AN: **Wow…my brain still works! Even though I watched 'The Descent'…hmm…I'm immune to horror movies.

Seiya remained in the shadows, guarding his Odango from those who would harm her. His eyes were watchful, carefully observing everything, searching for any indication that something was amiss. Usually, he would do anything to get out of watch duty, but when it came to Serena, he would rip out his still-beating heart and give it to her if she asked it of him. He would never let her fall into Darien's clutches; she was too sweet, too pure…he wouldn't allow Darien to destroy her. He would fight that until he took his last breath. With a tender smile, he turned his eyes to his blonde goddess's sleeping form. She was so beautiful…how had he gotten so lucky?

A strange scent reached his nose. It wasn't altogether unpleasant, but it wasn't the delicate, tantalizing scent of roses and lavender that Serena wore either. What was it? Seiya looked around for the source, but saw nothing. He went to the window, and scanned the night. The others were discreetly guarding the house, and they were all still in position. Even so, the dark-haired boy could not shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He listened, and realized that the whole pack was emitting a faint snuffling sound. What was it? Seiya listened harder. He cursed softly as he realized that everyone was snoring. They were all asleep.

Seiya immediately realized what was going on. Darien had come at last, and he intended to take Serena. Well, he'd have to go through him first. The dark-haired boy took a protective stance in front of Serena, keeping one eye on her the whole time. He wouldn't let the bloodsucker take her, no matter what. Drowsiness swept over him, but Seiya shoved it away with great force. He wouldn't give in like his pack mates. The smell grew stronger. It was some sort of knock-out gas. That was the only explanation. Seiya continued to fight the drug, and he wrapped his arms around Serena, trying not to wake her. She would get so scared…he didn't want her to see him kill Darien.

The drowsiness became even more persistent, and it threatened to consume him. Seiya held Serena tightly, and struggled to stay awake, to stay focused. The power of the drug was overwhelming, but the boy continued to fight it. Nevertheless, the gas had its way, and everything turned to darkness. His last conscious thought was; 'I'll never let him take her…I'll die first.'

**Ѣж¥Ѣж¥Ѣж¥Ѣж¥Ѣж¥Ѣ**

Darien smirked as he slid into Serena's room through her window. The gas had worked brilliantly. Zoisite had done exactly as he'd asked. The dark prince frowned as he saw that one of the wolves held his bride in a tight embrace. He looked more closely, and realized that it was her lover. That would have to stop now. The vampire thrust Seiya's unconscious form off of Serena, and lifted the sleeping blonde into his arms. The girl murmured, "Seiya…" Darien rolled his eyes. Soon, she'd be singing a different tune. Still, he'd have to make sure the dog she was currently with was informed of the new situation. Zoisite appeared at his side in a moment.

"What do you require, my lord?" he asked.

"Take this…dog…and lock him up in the cellar. Use the strongest chains you have, the ones that burn whoever tries to move."

"Very well, my lord. I shall do so."

"And Zoisite…"

"Yes?"

"Have the maids change the sheets on my bed."

"Of course."

Darien smiled, and sprang from the window with Serena in his arms. He took a syringe from his pocket, and lightly injected whatever was in it into Serena. It was only a way to ensure that she didn't wake up and make a sound while he got to his manor. It wouldn't do for Amara to catch him, not now. He ran to his domain, and the true horror began…

†**ж****†§†****ж****†§†****ж****†§†****ж****†**

Matthias Kou awoke with a pounding headache. His thoughts raced madly as he tried to remember where he was and what had happened. Jolting to his feet, he remembered the smell and the overwhelming exhaustion that had overcome him. With a burst of fear, he checked Seiya's post. Neither his son nor Serena was there. The two were gone. Fearing the worst, Matthias rejoined the pack to see if anyone else was missing. No; it was only Seiya and Serena. Sean groaned, and Matthias could not contain himself. He shook the younger man awake, though not too roughly, and the two then roused the rest of the pack.

As they began to put the pieces together, it was all Matthias could do not to race into a blind panic. His son and the guardian angel of the night were gone, taken by one of the most sadistic, cruel vampires known to the children of the moon. It was bad enough knowing what Darien had planned for Serena, but it was even worse to think of what he could be doing to his son at this very moment. Seiya was his youngest, and unfortunately, the most impulsive…Matthias paced agitatedly, trying to calm himself. It wouldn't help to panic; that wouldn't help either of the kidnapped teens.

+So, what do we do?+ Sean asked.

+We gather our resources and come up with a plan,+ Matthias replied firmly.

+So, back to the den?+

+Yes.+ Matthias' fatherly instincts were screaming at him to forget that plan and go after the leeches now, but his practical mind told him that to help Seiya, he had to make sure no one ended up dead.

+Ok. Come on, guys, let's move it.+ Sean ordered the others to get moving, and they all phased. The pack retreated to the den, working to find a way to save the angel and their brother. All they could do was hope they wouldn't be too late. That was all anyone could do for now.


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven: Captive!

**Chapter Twenty Seven: Captive!**

**Starlily11:** Hello, dear readers! I am finally back after a long and grueling wedding…I shall give you a new chapter in celebration.

Serena awoke to find herself lying on bed that was most definitely not hers. The sheets were not the Egyptian cotton ones she usually slept on; these were made of black silk and creamy white satin. Furthermore, she was not wearing her monkey pajamas. She was wearing her white Venetian lace negligee…not what she'd worn when she went to bed. The blonde sat up in terror and checked her surroundings. She wasn't home…she was somewhere else…a place that was unfamiliar. With a burst of horror, she realized what had happened. Darien had kidnapped her while she slept. But Seiya had been there…surely he wouldn't have allowed this…the blonde's heart turned icy in her chest. No, Seiya would not have allowed this. Had Darien…? No, she couldn't think like that.

The girl looked around more carefully now, searching for a way out of the room. She also checked to make sure her underwear was still where it should be…it was, mercifully. She spotted a window with black velvet drapes over it. She opened them and looked out. The blonde groaned as she realized that it was far too high up, and that there were no footholds. She would find no way to escape there. Sighing, the girl closed the drapes, and searched for a door. She found one, and tried it. It was locked. Finally, the gravity of her situation crashed down on her, and Serena fell to the floor, sobbing. It was no use to scream; who was here that would help her? Seiya was probably dead, or seriously injured…the girl sobbed harder at the thought, but she reached for the thread that connected her to her love. She groped for it, but nothing was there.

A faint creak sounded, and Serena looked up. Darien had opened the door. She ran for the opposite end of the room, and searched for something she could use to defend herself with. She didn't make it halfway, because Darien was in front of her in an instant. She let out a scream and backed into a wall. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked at her kidnapper in fear. The dark-haired man was looking down at her, his gaze penetrating and passionate, but cold as ice. Serena pressed herself more closely to the wall, and frantically tried to find her connection with Seiya. She managed to find a small piece of it, and called to her love. There was no answer.

Darien approached her then, and she began to tremble. The prince of darkness' eyes seemed to soften slightly, and he touched her shoulder. The blonde whimpered.

"Shh," he said quietly. "I won't harm you."

"Why did you take me?"

"It was the only way I could get you to stay and talk."

Serena almost snorted, but she could only tremble and cower against the wall. "Where's Seiya?"

Darien's eyes flashed with temper, but he smiled. "The dog is no longer a problem."

"I-is he…?"

"Yes."

The blonde let out a wail of anguish, and collapsed, dissolving into sobs. She vaguely heard Darien say something, but she didn't know what it was. Why should she care? Seiya was gone…killed by this monster. Darien would force her and make her his, whether she liked it or not. The girl was incensed by this thought, and stood up. Racing for the window, she knew what she had to do. She threw the drapes open, tossed the glass doors apart, and started to lunge out. Strong arms gripped her waist, and threw her onto the bed. The blonde curled into a fetal position, sobbing her heart out. A sudden pain entered her neck, and it all went black.

†**ж****Ѣж****Ѣж****Ѣ****ж****Ѣж****Ѣж****†**

Seiya awoke to darkness and intense discomfort. He raised his head, and looked around. Thanks to his night vision, he could tell that he was chained. He struggled, and the chains around his arms and legs became red-hot. The more he moved, the hotter they burned. The raven-haired boy cried out, and stopped. The pain lessened, but the damage was already done. Dazed, he wondered how he'd gotten here, and then he remembered. Darien had struck, and knocked them all out with some sort of gas. Worse, he'd taken Serena. Seiya let out a groan. He'd failed. Darien had taken his angel…who knew what was happening to her right now? Darien could be hurting her, or she could be locked in some cold, dark chamber, crying and scared…oh, damn the consequences! He struggled again, ignoring the agonizing pain, and continued to struggle until all that was left was pain. It became so great that Seiya let out a scream of agony, and collapsed on the stone floor. A few stones were loose, and they cut into his skin.

"Odango…" he murmured. "Forgive me…" He felt her tugging at their connection, but he couldn't find the strength to answer. His mind was fogged by pain, and his thoughts were all a blur.

From somewhere in the shadows, a cold voice rang out. "A new age has arrived, dog. You'd best get used to it."

Seiya couldn't do anything but growl. He'd phased. Without Serena, he couldn't control himself, and he'd phased accidentally. The black wolf let out a howl, and struggled. The pain was blinding, and in minutes, he was on the floor again, whining. 'Oh, Odango…' he thought. 'I'm so sorry I didn't protect you…forgive me…' Darkness crept up and consumed him.

**¥Ѣ¥Ѣ¥Ѣ¥Ѣ¥Ѣ¥Ѣ¥**

Serena awoke several hours later, and simply lay there, sobbing. She just wanted to die. Seiya was gone, and she faced a fate worse than death. Death would be a welcome release. The blonde closed her eyes, willing her heart to cease its beating. Yaten's face suddenly flashed in her mind, along with Taiki's and Kakyuu's. Mina's came next, followed by the faces of her other friends, including Amara and Michelle. Finally, her family…no, she couldn't just give up. She might have lost Seiya, but she still had plenty of others to live for. She got on her feet, and wiped her tears away. She approached the door, and tried it again. It was still locked, but she was determined to get out. The girl began to claw at the door. She managed to create a small hole, by which time her hands were torn and bleeding. Even so, she kept going, and finally made it out.

The girl moved down the hallways, carefully trying to stay out of sight. She noted that all of the servants seemed to be human. Otherwise, they would have smelled her blood. She tiptoed past several more servants, and searched for a way out. She ran smack into a white-haired man with cold gray eyes. The blonde gulped. She was screwed. The man looked at her, and his eyes flashed with recognition. He bowed. "My lady," he greeted her.

Totally confused, Serena looked around. Surely he wasn't talking to her…no one was there. "Um…" she managed.

"My name is Zoisite," the man told her.

"Okay…Zoisite…would you mind telling me where I am?"

"You're in my lord's manor, my lady. You are to become his queen."

"Uh, yeah…I'm only sixteen, so this queen thing's illegal. I'm not supposed to get married until I'm eighteen. Furthermore, I have a few friends who wouldn't exactly like the idea."

"Your friends are in no position to challenge the union…and we are above the law."

"Riight…uh…"

"Would you like me to take you to him?"

"No! I was just walking."

"You really ought to consider putting on something besides a nightgown, and how did you hurt yourself?"

"Huh?"

"You're bleeding. I can smell it."

Serena pulled her hands from behind her back, and winced. Her hands looked awful…bleeding and torn up…not at all what they used to look like.

Zoisite frowned. "Those have to be tended to. You!" he barked at a maid. The woman leapt up and curtsied. "Take my lady to her chambers. Help her dress, and tend to her hands."

The woman curtsied again, and took Serena's arm. She was shaking like a leaf. Serena considered refusing, but then she noticed how scared the servants were. She didn't want to get them in trouble with Darien. She returned to the room, and the maid couldn't help but chuckle when she saw the damage that had been done.

"Is that how you hurt yourself?" the woman asked.

"Yeah…I don't like being locked up."

"I understand."

"What's your name?"

"Liesel."

"Pretty. I'm…"

"Serena. I know. My lord has been watching you for quite some time."

"I know. It creeped me out."

"I assume you know what will happen to you…"

"I was trying to escape when I crashed into Zoisite."

Liesel gently cleaned Serena's hands, and bandaged them. "You had best not anger Darien, Serena," she warned. "It never works."

"I don't care how mad I make him. He killed Seiya…" Serena choked on the last bit, and tears filled her eyes.

"Seiya?"

"He was my boyfriend. Darien killed him."

"What did he look like?"

"Well, he was tall, muscular, and had blue eyes. His hair was long and black, but then he got mixed up in something, and he cut it off." Serena wasn't going to blab his secret.

"Hmm…"

"What?"

"It's odd…Darien said he killed him?"

"Yeah."

"Strange…I could have sworn I saw Zoisite carrying a boy who looked like that down to the dungeons…" Liesel was had zipped up Serena's sapphire blue gown and was currently styling her hair. The girl's long, ankle length golden locks were being carefully pinned up into a bun, with a few loose curls left to frame her face.

Serena jerked. "What?" she asked.

"I thought I saw Zoisite carrying someone like the boy you described to the dungeons."

"Was he alive?"

"Definitely."

Serena's heart fluttered frantically. If Seiya was alive, she would have to find him. She would never leave him here.

"The master will see you now." Zoisite was back, and Liesel went silent and still as a statue.

Serena stood, her face absolutely calm, and walked to the door. Somehow, she _would_ escape. She would not remain a captive.


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight: A Plan

**Chapter Twenty Eight: A Plan**

**Serena: **Seriously? You're still writing this story?

**Starlily11: **Yup. Now stuff it.

Taiki felt completely lost for the first time in his life. Serena was missing. Furthermore, so was Seiya. The chestnut-haired boy knew what had happened; he just somehow knew that his baby brother was in danger, and that Serena was in Darien's clutches. This fact made him want to scream. It was insanity-inducing, to know that two people he cared about were in danger, and that he had no idea what to do to save them. He knew Yaten was feeling the same way; when Yaten was worried, he was snappish and irritable. Usually, Mina could calm him some, but not this time. Taiki understood; he wanted to follow his younger brother's example and tell the idiot teacher to shut it. But no, as the responsible one, he was obligated to respect the authorities and keep his mouth shut, no matter how frustrating it was.

Despite his resolve, Taiki could not stop himself from tapping his foot impatiently, nor could he hide the glare that was forming on his face as the teacher continued to drone on and on about God-alone-knew-what. He could feel Amy's worried gaze, but for the first time, he ignored her. Instead, he had a fantasy of bashing the teacher over the head with a book and yelling, "ShutupShutupShutup!" That was as tempting as it was illogical. It wasn't the teacher's fault that Seiya and Serena were in danger…unless you could blame the school board for admitting the creep.

Just when Taiki thought his sanity was going to fly out the window and he would snap, Yaten stood up.

"What is it, Mr. Kou?" the teacher sighed.

"Will you just _stop_ _talking_?" Yaten hissed. "You're not doing anyone a favor by boring us to death! You're about to drive Taiki and me insane!"

"You're already partially insane, Yaten," Taiki joked feebly.

Yaten glared at his older brother, but let it go.

"Mr. Kou, office. Now."

"Not happening," Yaten stated, folding his arms across his chest.

Taiki heard Mina groan, and he and Amy locked eyes worriedly. All three knew that Yaten was in full-blown obstinate mode now.

"I mean it," the teacher warned.

"So do I."

Taiki couldn't take it anymore. He stood and said, "Come on, Yaten. Let's get out of here. You're clearly about to go nuts, and I really don't want to bail you out of jail until we're in college."

The whole class stared at him. Taiki Kou was blowing off school? The apocalypse had to have started! Amy stared at the love of her life, unable to take in what was going on. Mina was staring at Yaten. She hadn't seen him mouth off like this since they'd first started dating. Everyone was completely taken aback by the events that were unfolding. They all knew Yaten was known to mouth off, but the instance of Taiki going along with his brother was absolutely unheard of. The two inclined their heads to the class, and walked out. Amy would never admit that she was responsible for what she did next; she grabbed Mina's arm, and followed them.

The two girls caught up with the brothers fairly quickly. "Taiki, what's going on?" Amy asked.

"There's a problem I need to resolve," was the answer.

"I know you better than that. Something's wrong. Serena's missing, and you know something, don't you?"

"It's too dangerous for you to get involved."

"Hey!" Mina burst out. "Serena's our friend, and we want to help!"

"Taiki's right, Mina. It's too dangerous," Yaten stated. "You need to get back."

"No." Mina put her hands on her hips and glared at her beloved boyfriend.

"Amy, talk to her," Taiki pleaded.

"No." Amy's voice was firm, and she stared her boyfriend down.

Suddenly, a tall, muscular boy appeared out of the bushes. His eyes were frantic.

"What is it, Sean?" Taiki asked.

"Seiya's been kidnapped. So has Serena."

Mina and Amy both stared at him in shock. Taiki's face was troubled.

"I feared that," the chestnut-haired boy responded. "What happened?"

"Darien gassed us, man. It knocked us out cold. When we came to, Serena was gone, and so was Seiya."

"Damn," Yaten muttered.

"Do you guys know where he is?" Taiki inquired.

"We know the leech's location, but the place is crawling with vampires. We could get in, but we'd all die."

Taiki paled; this was bad. He also noticed that the girls were staring at Sean like he'd grown two heads. Sean finally noticed them, and he asked, "How long have those chicks been there?"

"The whole time," Yaten replied.

"Well…I guess the cat's out of the bag…"

"What's going on?" Mina asked.

"Seiya's a werewolf," Sean blurted, and both Kou brothers glared at him.

"That's crazy. Taiki, you don't honestly believe this…do you?" Amy was dubious.

"Yes, Amy, it's true. I know it's insane, but it's true. Vampires and werewolves exist. And my brother is a werewolf."

"Serena's an angel, too," Sean added. Then, there was more glaring."Just saying!"

Mina shook her head in confusion, and looked at Yaten, whose face was completely serious. She knew he wasn't insane, and she trusted him. If he believed this was true, and Taiki believed it, it must be so. She took her boyfriend's hand and asked pleasantly, "What should we do, then?"

"Matthias is working on a plan, but it could take a while. The guy's a wreck."

Taiki and Yaten smiled crookedly. "Well, he _is_ our dad," Yaten stated, "And Seiya was always his baby…"

"Better not say that around Seiya," Taiki murmured.

"But it's true!"

"He's the youngest, of course he's the baby!"

Mina was clearly annoyed, and she burst out, "Hello! Your brother's in danger, and so is my best friend! Can we get back to the plan?"

"Of course," Yaten answered smoothly, trying to placate her.

Amy shook her head, still dubious, but she knew that she had to trust Taiki. He'd never steered her wrong before. "What will we do?" she asked.

"We'll have to do a bit of undercover work; that's our best bet." Yaten was musing.

"That seems better than just waging a war," Sean agreed. "Less people would die."

"Can't we just bring a gun that shoots wooden stakes?" Mina asked. "Those kill vampires."

Sean burst out laughing. "Hollywood…all…wrong…" he gasped. "You have to rip them to shreds and burn the pieces," he informed her. "Furthermore, silver bullets don't kill werewolves."  
"Wow," Mina replied. "That's gross. The ripping, I mean."

"It's easy if you're a werewolf. None of us eat people, but we love killing vampires."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Slip in and pretend to be one of the servants or something, then try and find our two missing friends," Sean suggested.

"That would definitely be a good start…when should we attempt this?" Amy asked.

"As soon as possible," Sean stated.

"Ok, so Amy and I will pretend to be maids, and Taiki and Yaten can pretend to be gardeners or something," Mina shrugged.

"Wait! You're not going in there without me!" Yaten exclaimed. His green eyes were wide as he imagined what could happen if Mina got caught. It was terrifying to think of how much danger she could be in.

Taiki realized at once what was going through his brother's mind, and looked at Amy. One look in her dark blue eyes told him that he wouldn't let her just go in there. No; he would die with her if this ended badly. "We're going in there with you," he informed Mina solemnly.

Sean rolled his eyes and mumbled something about every guy he knew being a girl's lapdog. Yaten cuffed him on the side of the head.


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine: Heart of Darkness

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Heart of Darkness**

**AN: **Heads up…I might have to up this story's rating to M. This chapter will most likely be very dark.

Serena followed Zoisite, unsure of what to do. She didn't dare run; Zoisite was inhumanly fast. It would be stupid to try. The girl kept her eyes on the floor, and tried not to think about what Seiya could be going through. For all she knew, he was writhing in agony somewhere, or bleeding and cold, alone in this hellhole. She let her mind wander to memories of better times, before all of this had begun. She could feel Seiya's arms wrapped around her, and the touch of his hand. She could remember the silk of his hair beneath her fingers, and how when he was asleep it streamed across the pillow like black silk. The memories put a lump in her throat, and she lowered her head to hide the tears in her eyes. The blonde swallowed, and decided that she would die before she left this place without Seiya, that she would find a way to stop Darien from taking her from her greatest treasure.

"You may enter." Darien's voice sounded from behind the door.

Serena raised her head, her eyes dry. Zoisite urged her forward, and the blonde entered what appeared to be Darien's office. It was cold and darkly beautiful, like the monster who made it his abode.

Darien smiled when he saw her. Serena wished she could trade his lustful, greedy smile for Seiya's warm, tender one. Darien terrified her, but she forced herself not to run. It would do no good. The dark-haired vampire stood and walked over to her. His eyes traced her form lustfully, and Serena barely managed to keep from shuddering. Zoisite had left the room, and had gone elsewhere in the manor. Lightly, Darien touched her shoulder, and ran his hand down her arm. The blonde pulled back in fear.

"Beautiful," he breathed, and advanced. Serena backed into the wall, and began to edge for the door. Darien caught her by the waist.

"Don't touch me," she whispered.

"You're mine now…"

"I will _never _be yours."

"You will be mine until time ends, my dear. From this moment forth, you are my wife." Darien grabbed her and kissed her fiercely.

Serena struggled frantically, groping for something that would aid her in her escape. She had to find Seiya and get out of here. Tears filled her eyes as she realized what was about to happen. When Darien pulled back, she saw the gleam in his eyes. If she didn't act, he would take her for his own, and his plans would bear fruit. The girl raced through the door and fled. She only made it two yards before Zoisite grabbed her. Serena screamed in terror, and clawed at her captor's face. She thrashed violently in Zoisite's hold, and continued to scream with tears streaming down her cheeks.

It had been surprisingly easy to slip into Darien's manor masquerading as the help. All they'd had to do was discreetly approach a few of the maids and menservants and ask them to trade places. As all of them were captives, the people were only too glad to oblige. So it was that Taiki, Yaten, Mina, and Amy slipped into Darien's home and began to search for Serena. The whole place was a maze of twisting corridors and doors. In minutes, they were hopelessly lost. They kept moving, not stopping for a second. The boys' brother was in grave danger, and the girls needed to save their best friend. Finally, they had to stop, as Mina's high-heeled shoes were killing her.

"I told you to bring walking shoes!" Amy told her.

"I couldn't find any!" Mina whined.

"You mean to tell me that you don't own a pair of normal shoes?"

"Yes."

Amy let out a jet of language that caused Taiki to stare at his girlfriend in numb shock. He'd never once heard her swear. Mina looked at the blue-haired girl with wide eyes, and Yaten's mouth was hanging open.

"You kiss my brother with that mouth?" Yaten finally managed to ask.

"We have other things to worry about," Amy snapped. "My mouth is the least of our problems. Mina, take your shoes off. We're moving forward."

Mina meekly obeyed, and Amy resumed walking. The other three followed. Taiki noted the fact that his girlfriend had squared her shoulders, and realized that Amy was terrified. No wonder her behavior was so strange.

A girl's terrified scream rang out, and all four felt their hearts go cold. It was Serena. They took off running in the direction of the sound, and it kept on until it abruptly fell silent. The four searched frantically, but found no sign of the blonde. Mina's face was pale, and tears were forming in her eyes. Amy brushed her tears away, but her face was white with terror. Taiki froze in his tracks and prayed that they would be able to find the missing blonde before it was too late. Judging from the sound, Darien had already done something horrible. Yaten gritted his teeth and kept on. They burst through a door, and found Darien and another man in the chamber. In the other man's grasp was a struggling Serena.

When the blonde saw her friends, her tears became more profuse, and muffled moans and sobs became louder. Darien smiled cruelly. He turned to Zoisite, and said, "Zoisite, take care of our guests, will you?"

"What about the girl?"

"If I have any more interruptions, my plans will be ruined. Amara is on to us. I have to act now. I will take care of her."

"Very well."

As soon as Zoisite let go of Serena, the blonde screamed, "RUN!"

Darien quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. "Ah, ah…none of that," he scolded. He forcefully thrust Serena into the wall. Yaten lunged to stop him, but Zoisite threw him into another wall. Mina let out a cry and ran to his side. At that, Taiki forgot what had happened when Serena had punched Darien, and slammed his fist into Zoisite's face. The sound of bones breaking was audible at impact. Amy cringed, and Taiki fell to his knees, clutching his hand. Darien was forcibly kissing Serena, and Amy knew she had to do something. The blue-haired girl dove under Zoisite's arm, and grabbed Serena by the wrist, pulling her away. At the same time, Mina attacked in vengeance for the injury to Yaten. In that time, Amy managed to get Serena out of the room and take Taiki with her. Mina received the same treatment as Yaten.

Serena was crying, but she began to glow. Amy remembered Taiki's statement about the blonde being an angel, and sensed the danger.

"Serena, don't!" she cried

"I must…" the blonde transformed, and her white wings shone like the moon, her flowing white gown pooling at her feet. The light around her was blinding, and Darien took a step back, and for once, his face held only pure, utter shock. Zoisite was burned to a crisp, and that was when Darien fled. Once he was gone, the blonde turned to Taiki and gently took his wounded hand, healing the injury. She then turned her attention to the unconscious Mina and Yaten. Her light grew even brighter, and they stirred.

"Get us out of here," Taiki told her.

"No. We can't leave without Seiya. He's locked up somewhere…we need to find him."

"We'll come back for him. But right now, we need to retreat. I don't know how long you can keep this up, and Mina and Yaten are injured."

Serena's eyes filled with tears that overflowed, but she nodded. Within moments, they were all safely away. The power involved had drained the blonde, and she sank to the ground. "Seiya…" she murmured, and her eyes fluttered closed. The light vanished, and Serena's angelic form disappeared. Taiki picked her up, being careful of her bandaged hands. He would ask about those later, he decided. Amy was weak with relief, and she helped a disoriented, dizzy Mina to her feet, as well as supporting Yaten. Being thrown into the wall at an angle had either sprained or broken his ankle. Together, they entered the Kou household.

**§†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†§**

Seiya awoke several hours later to the same burning pain. This time, however, Darien was in front of him. The vampiric stench made Seiya's eyes burn, and he gagged. The vampire's face was cold and emotionless. Seiya regarded him with equal fiery loathing. "What have you done with her?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "What have you done to Serena?" The raven-haired boy struggled, but was forced to quit as the burning began again. Darien was now smiling cruelly.

"Why didn't you tell me that my desired bride was an angel?" Darien's voice was casual, probing.

Seiya choked. How could the leech know that unless…he felt sick with fear. Surely it hadn't been necessary for her to use her powers…

"That certainly ends my plans. However, I have an even better one now. I've always wondered what it would be like to kill an angel. It seems I'll have my chance to find out."

"Don't you touch her!" Seiya shouted, and began to struggle again. He phased again, and lunged.

Darien laughed. "What can you do to stop me? Nothing. But never fear, dog. I have plans for you, too. Prepare for a world of pain, mutt." With those words, Darien sank his fangs into Seiya's throat. He didn't bite to kill, but only to wound, and did so in such a way that caused excruciating pain. Upstairs, the servants all paused as his screams of agony sounded from below. Seiya was in the heart of darkness.


	31. Chapter Thirty: Torment

**Chapter Thirty: Torment**

**WARNING: **There will be some graphic torture scenes. If you are squeamish, do not read too carefully.

Seiya lay on the cold stone floor, the only warmth coming from the blood that trickled down his neck. He had ceased to scream; what was the point? The raven-haired boy allowed his mind to wander from this dark place to brighter times. He traveled in his mind to a time where Serena lay safely and contentedly in his arms, protected from all dangers. He'd heard her screams from upstairs, and he shuddered to think of what was happening to her at this moment. He couldn't bear to think of that. No…Serena was safe. She was in his arms, her head resting softly on his chest. Darien didn't exist…

"Keep dreaming, mutt. I'm as real as they come."

Seiya snapped back to reality. Darien was standing over him, smiling triumphantly. Seiya didn't have the strength to try and get to his feet; Darien had taken too much blood. The dark-haired boy glared at the prince of darkness smiling down at him. "Filthy leech," he spat.

"This filthy leech has found your brothers and an angel and killed them all."

Seiya choked, but then he remembered who he was talking to. His father had warned him that vampires would try to mess with your head, and they'd lie and lead you into despair. Instead, he snarled, "Liar!"

"Am I?" Darien knelt down, and suddenly a knife was in his hand. Slowly, he dragged the silver blade across Seiya's arm. Blood spilled from the wound, and Darien's eyes took on an eerie, blood red cast. The captive grimaced in pain, but refused to cry out. The chains binding him seemed to grow more constricting, and the familiar burning pain seared his wrists and ankles. By the time Darien was through, the blade was slick with his blood. Darien sneered. "Are you sure, mutt? If your angel was alive, would she have abandoned you and left you to suffer? Would your brothers have allowed this?"

"They're not dead," Seiya murmured.

Darien sighed. "Very well…I guess I'll have to show you."

A strong hand lifted Seiya's chin and forced him to look into the monster's eyes. Instantly, he was drowning in darkness. When he landed, he was home again. Bewildered, he looked around. It was all fine, until his eyes fell on his oldest brother. Taiki was lying in a pool of his own blood, his violet eyes glazed over with pain. The source of the blood was a gaping wound in his stomach. Seiya felt sick. He knelt beside his brother, and asked, "Who did this to you?"

Taiki took in a labored breath. "Seiya…you… need… to get… out of here…"

"_Who did this?_"

"Darien…he…took…Serena…"

Seiya tried to staunch the rush of his brother's blood. "What about Yaten? Kakyuu?"

"Dead…"

Seiya lifted his brother and tried to bandage the wound. Taiki touched his hand.

"Don't…it's too late."

"No! Taiki, come on! Don't leave me, bro!"

"I knew it would end like this, Seiya…the look in his eyes…murder…"

"Hold on!" Seiya pleaded. Tears were streaming from his eyes.

"Find Serena…it's too late to save me…might not be… to save…her…"

"Taiki!"

The chestnut-haired boy's eyes closed, and he breathed his last.

"_TAIKI!_"

There was no reply. Seiya blubbered like a five-year-old. A blood-curdling scream reached his ears. Serena…Seiya leapt up. He may have lost his brother, but Serena was still alive. He ran towards the dreadful sound. Alas, it was too late. Darien held Serena in his grasp, his hands stained with her blood. In one, he held her un-beating heart. Serena's face was still wet with tears, her blue eyes lifeless, their light extinguished forever. Laughing, Darien tossed her to the ground without a care.

"ODANGO!" Seiya ran to her, and lifted her lifeless body into his arms. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I should've fought harder…I should've gotten here sooner…" He clung to her, childishly willing himself to open his eyes and find that this was all a dream. But no. He could feel her blood rushing over his hands and the warmth fleeing from her. Seiya screamed in rage, pain, and grief, and sank down beside his love. "I'll never leave you again," he promised her. Darien descended upon him, and he was drowning in darkness again.

When he awoke, Darien was gone. The chains still seared into his flesh, and Seiya remained prone. Had that all been real? Or had it been a dream? Seiya looked at his hands. They were red with blood. Oh, God…his brothers were gone. Serena was dead…Kakyuu…all of them…

"ODANGO!" he screamed, and fell to the floor. She was gone, then. His angel, his shining light, was truly gone. Dead…at Darien's hand. Seiya sank into a dark, dreamy state, and did not resurface. The raven-haired boy was oblivious to the knives that cut him, and the fists that beat him. Nothing mattered anymore. Especially not his body. He had escaped to bright memories that shielded him from reality's horrors. Memories of lying with his head in his beautiful angel's lap were his home now. Reality was no longer part of the picture. What was the point of hanging on to the facts?

_AN: Please don't kill me…_


	32. Chapter Thirty One: An Alliance

**Chapter Thirty One: An Alliance**

**Serena: **You are twisted…

**Starlily11: **Tell me something I don't know.

When two of her brothers came in with an unconscious Serena and their girlfriends, all of them bruised, Kakyuu nearly had an aneurysm. She gasped in shock and no small amount of horror. She made sure Serena was set down gently and made comfortable, and then forced the rest to sit down. They obeyed, simply because they were all too exhausted to argue. Mina kept glancing at Serena, as if to make sure the blonde was still there. Amy was pale and shaking, and was currently incapable of saying anything coherent. Yaten was pale and restless, as well as even more cynical than usual. Taiki was quietly thoughtful, his face worried.

"What happened?" Kakyuu asked.

"We tried to rescue Seiya and Serena. We got Serena, but we couldn't find Seiya," Yaten spoke quietly. "That goddamn leech had her pinned against a wall when we got there, and nearly killed us. If Serena hadn't broken out the angel powers, we wouldn't have survived."

Kakyuu turned white. "You mean to tell me that you and your brother, along with your girlfriends, attempted a rescue mission from a bunch of inhumanly fast, incredibly strong demons on your own?"

"Yes."

That was when Kakyuu exploded. Even Taiki seemed to visibly shrink. "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" she shouted. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SO LUCKY? THE POLICE ARE STILL QUESTIONING SEIYA'S DISAPPEARANCE, AND NOW YOU'RE ADDING YOURS TO THE LIST? DID YOU NOT STOP AND THINK ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD DO TO ME, TO THE GIRLS' PARENTS IF YOU ALL TURNED UP DEAD?"

Yaten closed his mouth, and looked down, suddenly feeling guilty. He hadn't thought about how worried his sister would be, or about Mina's parents. He hadn't considered any of that. Taiki had lowered his eyes as well, thinking about what could have happened. He hadn't considered this, either, and he was supposed to be the responsible one. He looked at Serena, who, miraculously, was still unconscious.

Kakyuu softened. "Still, I can understand why. I just don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

Yaten suddenly pulled his older sister into a hug. "I'm sorry, sis. We didn't think."

"Just warn me next time, all right?"

"We will," Taiki assured her. "Hopefully, when we try again, it'll be the last time."

"I certainly hope so, too," Amy said quietly.

Serena suddenly moaned, and started to stir. The blonde sat up and looked around. Amy was at her side immediately. The blonde girl looked around dazedly for a minute, and then realization entered her eyes. "We got away," she murmured.

"Yes, we did," Amy answered quietly. "Thanks to you."

"We left Seiya."

"We'll go back for him," Taiki said gently. "As soon as we're sure you're strong enough."

"No, we need to go _now._ He's hurting…he's alone and hurting…" Serena's eyes were teary.

"We'll go back…but worrying like this won't help."

Serena managed to stand up, and she rubbed her left hand delicately, staring at the bandages, which were dirty and needed to be changed. Taiki gently removed them, and Yaten inhaled sharply when her torn, scraped, bruised hands were revealed. Mina's and Kakyuu's eyes widened.

"Your hands…" Amy murmured.

"He locked me in a room," Serena murmured. "I got out."

"What did you do, rip the door apart with your bare hands?" Yaten asked.

"That's exactly what I did."

Amy carefully cleaned the wounds, and Taiki bandaged them again. Serena suddenly winced, and Amy touched her shoulder, concerned. The blonde's eyes were teary.

"Seiya…we need to get him…Darien's doing something really bad…I can feel his pain…" the blonde was clearly in earnest, and that was when the rest decided that it was time to act.

They prepared quickly, and immediately set out. Serena was walking as though in a dream, so busy was she trying to contact Seiya. For some reason, she couldn't use their connection to speak with him anymore. Furthermore, her angelic powers were still replenishing. She couldn't teleport, and she couldn't nudge harder to access her love's mind. Therefore, she was surprised when she felt herself collide with someone else. She looked up. It was Amara.

The taller girl looked down at her, and smiled, until she saw the state of the petite blonde's hands. "What happened?"

"Darien kidnapped me, I pried a door open with my hands, tried to get away, one of his minions caught me, Darien almost raped me, my friends saved me, and we're going back."

Amara's eyes flashed. "We're coming with you." At those words, Trista, Hotaru, and Michelle stepped from the shadows.

"Uh, _no_," Sean said, stepping from the bushes."We aren't leaving them alone with a bunch of vampires." The rest of the pack joined him.

"Definitely not. We aren't leaving them alone with a bunch of werewolves," Michelle answered.

"Guys, cool it. Both sides want to take Darien out, and if we work together, we're all less likely to die," Serena piped up.

"They're bloodsuckers!" Sean yelped.

At the same time, Hotaru and Amara chorused, "They're dogs!"

Serena held up a hand, and the wolves silenced. The vampires, not aware of her status, looked between Serena and the pack, not understanding her power over them. Serena smiled gently at the wolves. "I honestly think that we can all come to some sort of agreement. You want to take Darien out, and so do Amara, Michelle, Trista, and Hotaru. Surely we can at least call a truce for a time and make this work."

Sean frowned, but Matthias was thoughtful. The rest of the pack was shaking their heads. The vampires were still dubious.

"Amara saved my life, and she also shielded me from Darien's stares…vampires are not all evil. Humanity has good and bad among them. It is the same with vampires."

"Werewolves kill vampires," Trista stated.

"That is because they only become werewolves when vampires invade their territory. Of course they'd want to go back to having normal lives."

Amara paused. They all did. None of the clan had thought about it that way. All was silent for several moments.

Finally, Matthias spoke up. "It is certainly a new idea, and definitely unusual, but when it comes down to it, I suppose that it could work if we all cooperate."

Serena smiled at him, and Taiki and Yaten were thinking, 'Yeah, that's Dad, all right. He always was good with compromise.' The rest of the pack groaned, but quieted, accepting their leader's decision.

"Fine," Amara sighed. "We'll work with you just this once. But if even one of you tries to kill me, all bets are off."

"Same to you," Sean retorted. Matthias gave him a look.

"Guys, this won't work if we take jabs at each other."

Both sides silenced. Finally, Matthias and Amara stepped forward. The two shook hands, and rejoined their respective crews. Both immediately layered on hand sanitizer. Serena rolled her eyes, but said nothing. She didn't want to waste any more time. Seiya was more important. Together, the newly formed army marched to Darien's abode.


	33. Chapter Thirty Two: Evil's Fall

**Chapter Thirty Two: Evil Falls**

**Serena: **You're enjoying your free weekend, aren't you?

**Starlily11: **Yes…yes, I am.

**Seiya: **Are you done torturing me yet?

**Starlily11: **Nope…

The small army entered the mansion, ready for the fight of their lives. Amara had insisted that Serena stay out of the line of fire. Matthias had agreed, since he wanted to ensure that his son was found as quickly as possible. He knew that Serena would be able to find him. At that same time, he also made sure that she wouldn't be alone. The vampires and wolves would fight, but Serena, Taiki, Yaten, Mina, and Amy were to go elsewhere and find Seiya. If worst came to worst, they were to get out immediately. Serena consented; she could feel Seiya's pain crying out to her, and she wanted to end that pain as quickly as she could.

Darien's main warriors were gone, but he had plenty more. The battle began to rage, and Serena and her companions slipped away from the battle as they had been told. Silently, the blonde prayed that none of her friends would die. At the same time, she wished she could personally land a few painful blows on Darien, but decided that Seiya was much more important than revenge. The five humans slipped through the halls, searching for the dungeons. Serena reached out with her mind, searching for a small hint as to where they should go. Seiya's mind was still foggy, surrounded by a thick haze of pain.

Serena followed the call of her love's agony, with four of those she held most dear behind her. They came to a solid metal door. Seiya's pain was calling to her from behind it. Serena tried it. The door was locked. She pulled at the handle as hard as her delicate, injured hands would allow, but it didn't budge. Yaten threw himself against it with all his might, and it gave a little. The silver-haired boy grimaced in pain from the impact. Taiki tried next, and it gave a little bit more. Even Mina tried, and the door was barely hanging on. Amy shoved it, and the door collapsed. Serena flew down the stairs, with Taiki and Yaten behind her. The blonde suddenly stepped back with a shriek of horror. Yaten looked, and felt sick. The body of a young girl from one of the missing posters was lying in their path.

"Oh, God…" Taiki's voice was appalled. "That sick bastard…"

"Darien has a great deal to answer for," Amy stated. "Hopefully, tonight will be the last time he claims more victims."

"Amen," Mina murmured.

The five stepped over it, and continued to search for Seiya. At last, Serena felt the strongest call yet, and she knew they were close. Seiya was so close now…if only she could find the right door. She had four to choose from. Taiki opened one, and shut it quickly with a grimace as a terrible stench rolled out. Whoever was in there had been dead for nearly a month, judging from the odor. Mina opened the next, and slammed it shut immediately with a shriek. Amy tried another, with the same result. Serena opened the last one, and an anguished cry tore itself from her lips. She ran in and pulled Seiya into her arms. Frantically, she tugged at the chains that bound him, and managed to free one arm. Tears spilled from her eyes at the sight of the hideous burns and chafing that had resulted. The girl used her power to break the other bonds, and she held Seiya's head to her chest, crying.

Taiki and Yaten, who had come at the sound of Serena's cry, froze as they saw the state of their brother. Bruises and bloody cuts covered nearly every inch of his body, and burns could be seen on his wrists and ankles. There was a great deal of blood on his neck, most likely from where Darien had bitten him. The worst part, though, was the vacant, dead look in his eyes. The look of utter hopelessness that had entered those eyes…it was unbearable. Serena continued to hold him, her tears spilling onto his face and hair. Yaten sank to his knees with a groan. His brother…his little brother…had been hurt in every way possible. Taiki stared at the awful sight, his mind unable to accept what he was seeing. It was just too dreadful.

"Seiya…_SEIYA!_" Serena wailed, her voice reverberating off the stone walls and echoing throughout the dark dungeons. But Seiya made no response. Amy knelt beside her distraught friend, tears spilling from her own eyes.

"Serena…" she began, but stopped. What could she say.

The blonde clung to Seiya's inert form, one hand on his chest. She could still feel his heartbeat, thank goodness, but it was so faint. Not at all the strong, steady sound it had once been. Softly, she pressed her lips to his dark head, and then to his forehead, and finally his lips. Her angelic powers were awakening; she could feel them opening up like a spring flower inside her. Tenderly, she stroked his face, and let her power flow through him, healing his wounds. Once she'd done that, she turned her tearstained face to Taiki.

"Look after him," she ordered quietly. Her white wings were spread wide, ready to take flight. Her white gown was absent of dirt and Seiya's blood when she stood.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do what I should have done long ago…I'm going to send Darien to Hell."

She started to walk, when a voice from the shadows said, "There's no need to search for me, my dear. I'm right here." Darien stepped into the light.

Serena looked at him coldly.

"I should warn you, though…I'm a tough opponent."

"We shall see."

Angel and demon began the true battle, while a much larger, but greatly more trivial one raged upstairs.

†**ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****†**

Amara dismembered yet another vampire with a grim smile. This battle was going surprisingly well. The wolves were surprisingly useful to have on her side. Vaguely, she wondered why she hadn't considered it sooner. The only bad part of this battle was the fact that Darien, the one vampire she actually wanted to kill, had not shown his face yet. Was he hiding out in his study somewhere, or was he so arrogant that he didn't care that half his minions were toast? Chances were, it was the latter. A yelp from behind her made her turn. It turned out that what's-his-name, Derek, had stopped a vampire behind her from taking her out. Amara found herself feeling glad that Serena had made them all agree to work together.

Matthias took out another vampire with his sharp teeth, wondering if his other two sons and Serena had found Seiya yet. He hoped that they had, and prayed that Seiya had not suffered too greatly. Something in him told him that his youngest was in pain at this very moment. Darien was cruel; he wouldn't have taken Seiya and left the rest of them alone if he hadn't been planning something horrible. Hopefully, Serena's angelic powers would be of some use.

†**ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****†**

Seiya lay blissfully in the arms of his angel. The pain was only a distant thing, and was completely overlooked. Serena was gently trailing her fingers through his hair, which was once again down to his waist. It was a shame these memories were just that; memories. His angel was gone. He no longer cared if Darien killed him. Vaguely, he heard an anguished cry from that distant land known as reality. Who knew; maybe his body had made some sort of sound of protest to the pain that he was suffering. Seiya continued to live in his memories, where Serena lay in his arms, warm and vibrant.

A wail penetrated the barriers he'd put up, and he could hear Serena's voice wailing his name. He could feel her tears splashing down on him. The pain of the chains was gone, and his injuries ceased to bother him. The cold of the dungeon returned, and Serena continued to weep. Oh, no…he couldn't bear that! Darien had hurt her…he'd hurt her…he'd killed her…why was Darien still torturing him? Seiya retreated further into his mind, shutting out the cries. The sounds of a battle starting echoed behind him, but he shut them out. Serena was all that mattered, and she was now only a cherished memory.

†**ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****ж****†**

Taiki moved to his beaten, battered brother, fearing the worst. Fortunately, Seiya was still alive. Even so, it was clear that Darien had done more than simply beating on him. That wouldn't be enough to cause Seiya to retreat so deeply into his mind like this. The chestnut-haired boy held his brother gently, the way one would a small child. If Seiya was to awaken again, he would have to be called back gently. It wouldn't do to force him; that could hurt him even more. Yaten knelt down on the other side. The silver-haired boy had tears in his green eyes, even though he would deny it later.

"Come on, bro," Yaten murmured to him. "Don't leave us like this, huh? Ser needs you. She's picking a fight with Darien right now because she thinks she's lost you. Why don't you come back to us and help her out?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you need to listen to Yaten," Taiki spoke quietly. "He's right. You can't leave us like this. Who's going to pull crazy pranks on us when we need a laugh? Who's going to drive Kakyuu crazy when you don't start some loud fights? Who's going to protect Serena from the jerks at school who'll want to break her heart?"

A loud blast shook the ceiling, and Taiki looked up. Serena was still standing, and she was still going strong. The blonde was bent on killing Darien.

"Seiya, please," Mina begged. "Serena can't fight…but she's willing to die trying to defeat Darien because she loves you. Wake up…stop her before she gets hurt."

Seiya stirred briefly, and Taiki saw a faint spark of light flash in his brother's eyes. The boy looked at Yaten, and his eyes closed.

**жѢжѢжѢжѢжѢжѢж**

Seiya was once again safe in his memories, where no disturbance from reality could touch him. He knew the pain had stopped, and the distressing sounds had stopped, so he let his walls weaken slightly. Stronger arms were holding him now, and Yaten spoke gently. It wasn't the voice of his memory; it was reality. Seiya sat up, pulling away from his memory. He couldn't remember the last time Yaten had been so gentle. His brother was coaxing him to wake up and return to reality, to leave this pleasant place, to face the fact that Serena was gone.

Suddenly wary, the dark-haired boy paused in his mind. Was this a trap? No…why would Yaten speak so gently if it were? Seiya listened more carefully. Yaten was telling him that Serena needed him to do something…he said something about Darien, and Serena fighting. Then, Taiki spoke, and asked him to return as well, inquiring who was going to prank them all, or who was going to save Serena…wait. Serena was gone…Seiya backed up, but Mina spoke, again about Serena. This time, it was as clear as a bell.

"…she's willing to die trying to defeat Darien because she loves you! Wake up…stop her before she gets hurt." That was Mina's plea. Why would Darien use Mina, anyway?

Seiya tentatively reentered reality, and stirred. He saw Taiki's violet eyes looking down at him. His brother wasn't dead. He looked to the other side and caught a glimpse of Yaten's green eyes. Fatigue overcame him, and he sank back into darkness.

†**†**

Serena dodged another attack from Darien, and blasted him into a wall. She would kill him for harming Seiya. She wouldn't forgive him for that. Seiya…she thought of him lovingly, with an ache in her heart. Darien would pay for what he'd done to her love. Darien aimed another blow, but she ducked, and hit him with another burst of power. Darien grunted in pain, but he wouldn't give in.

"I'll just kill you, you know," he taunted.

Serena aimed a blast, but missed. "Shut it," she hissed.

"You may be an angel, but I am still stronger. Look at what I did to the dog. He's so far gone that he'll never return."

Serena simply attacked again, incensed by the insult to Seiya. Seiya…he was lying unconscious, beaten and bloody, possibly broken beyond all repair. "What did you do to him?" she hissed.

"Do you really want to know? I suppose I'll tell you. I entered his mind and convinced him that I'd killed all of you already. It was quite amusing. Who knew he was so weak? It was priceless when I showed him _your_ death. He broke down and wept like a baby."

Serena felt tears sting her eyes as she realized what Darien had done. Seiya had been so devastated that he'd fled to the safety of his memories, all because he thought she was dead. All because he thought that those he loved were gone. Darien had really outdone himself, she thought with disgust. Seiya's lifeless, hopeless eyes filled her mind until she could think of nothing else. She felt Darien pin her down, but all she could see were Seiya's pain-filled eyes, and with horror, she recalled the tracks tears had left on his face. Seiya should never weep…especially not on her account. She barely felt it when Darien sank his knife into her side, and his fangs into her throat.

**Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ****†****Ѣ**

When Seiya awoke, he was being held by Taiki. His wounds had been healed, and any pain that he could have felt was gone. He sat up, and looked around. Amy, Mina, and his brothers were there, but not Serena. Where was she? They'd spoken as though she was alive; he looked around more carefully. Taiki spoke very softly. "She's fighting Darien."

Seiya didn't understand. "Who?"

"Serena. Serena is fighting Darien." Yaten's voice was still gentle.

At those words, Seiya struggled to get up. "No…" he said. "She can't fight…she's powerful, but she isn't meant to fight."

"And you're in no condition to do so yourself," Amy informed him. "Serena healed your wounds, but you're still weak."

"I don't care…" Seiya finally made it to a standing position. "I won't lose her…not again…"

"What do you mean, 'again'?" Taiki's tone was gently probing.

"Darien messed with my head…he made me think he'd killed her, that he'd killed all of you. I watched her die…"

There was another blast. "That would be Serena," Yaten informed him.

Seiya took off, leaning on the wall for support. Worried, his brothers and the girls followed. They found Darien pinning Serena against the wall, drinking deeply from her. Furthermore, a knife had been thrust into her side. Serena didn't even seem to feel it. Tears were streaming from her eyes, but that was the only indication that she was in pain. Her breathing had grown shallow, and her skin was white. Seiya phased so fast that he didn't even realize it until he was halfway towards Darien. He sank his teeth into the vampire's neck, and tore his head clean off. Taiki pulled out a set of matches. Seiya dismembered the rest of the sadistic vampire, and Taiki lit a match and tossed it on the remains. In seconds, Darien was burning.

Serena had slid to the floor, and blood pooled around her, staining her gown and wings. Seiya lifted her, and removed the knife from her side. He pressed a hand to the wound to staunch the flow, and the blonde whimpered. Taiki was examining the bite wound, and his face was grim. Mina was white as a sheet, and clearly terrified.

"Sei…ya…" Serena could barely speak.

"Shh…don't talk," Seiya murmured. "Heal yourself."

"I-it hurts…can't…focus…"

"He hit an artery, Seiya," Taiki's tone was grim.

"She can heal herself; all she needs to do is focus!" Seiya's tone was panicked.

Serena closed her eyes, and faint glow surrounded her, but quickly faded out. Seiya wanted to scream. After all of this, he was about to lose his angel. He was the one who should be in this position, not her. It was never supposed to be _her_. Seiya held her tenderly, his eyes filled with pain. 'Is this the cost of evil's fall?' he wondered. 'Does a bright light always die when darkness is defeated?'


	34. Chapter Thirty Three: The Vigil

**Chapter Thirty Three: The Vigil**

**Serena: **What are you up to?

**Starlily11: **(innocently) Nothing…

**Serena: **Here it goes…sigh…

Serena could not bring herself to even scream as she sank against the wall. Why should she scream over her own death? Sweet oblivion would take her, as it had Seiya, and she would be reunited with him. It would free her from this monster that was feeding from her. Vaguely, as though from under deep water, she heard a snarl, and various disgusting sounds that included a scream of agony from Darien. Good. She hoped that bastard would get what he deserved. She slid down the wall, her vision dimming, the pain fading. She could smell smoke, and burning flesh, which grotesquely smelled like steak.

Strong arms lifted her, and the knife was removed from its sheath in her side. Strong, probing, yet gentle fingers moved over her neck, examining the bite mark. She looked up. Seiya held her, his face white and agonized. Painful pressure was placed over the deep wound in her side, and she whimpered. Seiya's deep blue eyes filled with yet more pain, and she realized that he was trying to staunch the flow of her lifeblood. She tried to say his name, but she could only manage one syllable at a time. "Sei…ya…"

"Shh…don't talk," he murmured, stroking her hair. "Heal yourself."

Serena did her best, but the pain had grown very strong, and she couldn't focus well enough. She told him so. Taiki spoke, his tone grim.

"He hit an artery, Seiya."

Seiya's voice filled with panic, and he practically screamed, "She can heal herself; all she needs to do is focus!"

The blonde knew then that she had to try. She redoubled her efforts, and managed to heal a small amount, but not nearly enough of the damage. She heard Seiya's breath catch in his throat, and faintly heard Mina give a distressed whimper. Taiki was still trying to save her, but despair was so thick in the air she could taste it. She'd closed her eyes in an attempt to improve her focus, and she could not find the strength to open them again.

†**§†§†§†§†§†§****†§†**

The battle was won. Matthias wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around. There were no vampires in sight but their allies. The rest were fuel for a bonfire. He looked around, but there was no sign of his sons or Serena, nor Mina and Amy. Sean whistled as he realized that it was over and none of the pack had died. Amara was smiling grimly, but she seemed dissatisfied. Matthias realized what it was, and worried. Where was the mastermind behind all of the trouble? What had become of Darien? That question was answered when Yaten and Amy came tearing in. Both were white, and breathless. Everyone looked at them questioningly and with no small amount of anxiety.

"Seiya's fine…he was injured, but Serena healed him, but he'd retreated into his mind, we had to wake him up, Serena went after Darien, Seiya woke up, he went after Serena, we followed, Darien was killing her, Seiya killed him, and Serena's about to die…" Yaten was panting.

"Someone needs to call 911!" Amy said, distressed, and went tearing back downstairs. Everyone else followed.

When they got there, Amara felt her heart freeze in her chest. The blonde she'd worked so hard to protect was bleeding profusely, and her skin was void of all color. The source of the blood was from a deep wound in her side, and a noticeable bite on her throat. Michelle gasped, and looked at Amara in horror. Trista seemed to get paler than usual, and Hotaru's face held an expression of defeat. Matthias caught sight of Darien's burning remains, but that brought him no joy. An angel was dying, and his son was in the worst imaginable pain.

Seiya cradled the dying angel in his arms, tears streaming from his eyes. Taiki was attempting to stop the blood flow, but even his abilities were not helping. Mina was silently crying, and her lips moved in silent prayer. Amy joined them, and attempted to aid Taiki, but even their combined efforts were failing. Serena steadily grew paler, and the rise and fall of her chest happened ever more frequently, her breathing becoming ever more labored. She was struggling to hold on, but not even her power could aid her now.

"Does it always end this way?" Seiya asked.

Amara looked at him in confusion, all loathing for werewolves gone. "What?" she asked.

"Does light always have to die to defeat darkness?"

"Not always," Amara answered, not sure where this was going.

"Then why now? Why her?" Seiya's tears spilled down onto the blonde's face.

"I don't know."

Serena's breathing suddenly stopped, and the room seemed to grow intensely cold. Her angelic form disappeared, and she was wearing her flowing sapphire blue dress. Seiya rested his head on her chest, desperately listening for a heartbeat. There was none. The raven-haired boy's face grew white, and he lightly stroked her face. She didn't stir. Mina let out an anguished moan, and dissolved into tears. Amy sank down, her face colorless and agonized. Yaten slammed his fist into a wall, cursing Darien with every horrible fate the vampire could meet in the afterlife. Taiki closed his eyes and turned away, unable to bear the awful sight for any longer.

Seiya released a cry of pain that chilled all who head it. The sound was one of unmatched agony and sorrow. Softly, he rested his lips on his still lover's forehead, and that was when Matthias Kou saw his son break. The raven-haired boy sank down next to her, briefly touched her hand, and his eyes went blank, tears still spilling from them. He had retreated into his mind, for the pain was too great for him to bear. Yaten saw this, and looked at Taiki in agonized helplessness and despair. Taiki shook his head sadly. Nothing they could do could return Seiya to them now. They could no more call him from his mind than they could bring Serena back to life. Amara felt a deep pain set in, greater than any she'd experienced before. Darien was gone, but Serena was lost as well. Her enemy was vanquished, but the price had been dear. Too dear. All of them remained where they were, bound to the spot and united by the same pain.

**AN: **Surprisingly, I still have two more chapters to go before this is over. If you want to see proof of divine intervention, click the review button.


	35. Chapter Thirty Four: Divine Intervention

**Chapter Thirty Four: Divine Intervention**

**Serena: **I died…you freaking killed me!

**Starlily11: **Hush…

Seiya lay still, letting his memories guard him against the pain that was closing in on him. Serena was truly dead. His sweet, beautiful angel was gone. But never forgotten. His mind shut out the horrible image of his Odango's bloodied, lifeless form, and whisked him away to cherished memories. Serena lay warm and vibrant in his arms, her soft breathing a pleasure to hear. His head rested on her lap, her hands gently smoothing the tangles from his hair. He could hear the sweet sound of her laughter, the tenderness in her voice whenever she spoke to him. Yes; his memories were a much better place to be. In reality, he would never see her smile or hear her laughter again.

Taiki finally forced himself to stop staring blankly at the wall. That wouldn't help. He had to try to call his little brother back to reality. He had to make him face the pain rather than flee from it. Averting his eyes from Serena's lifeless form, he touched Seiya's shoulder lightly. There was no response; not even a twitch. Amy murmured, "It's no use, Taiki. He's too far gone." Her voice was hollow, void of hope.

"I have to try," he insisted.

"Serena's dead, Taiki," Yaten informed him flatly. "There's no point in trying. Seiya doesn't want to live without her, and she's dead. Give it up."

"I thought you cared more about our brother than that," Taiki's voice was dangerously low.

"You know I do…but I also know when to give up."

"Yaten!" Mina's face was tearstained, but she touched his shoulder, cautioning him to be silent. Yaten gritted his teeth, but obeyed for once.

A light began to shine down on them all, and it seemed to be focusing on the still forms of Seiya and Serena. The pure, white glow seemed to take on a vague form, but no one could guess what form it took. Seiya stirred briefly, but was quickly still again. The light was warm, and it eased the wailing pain that had entered all of their hearts. And then, the glow flared, and all had to step back and cover their eyes to avoid being blinded. When it cleared, a ring of sapphire blue and silver fire surrounded the forms of the two lovers. Out of the flames, a voice rang out, neither male nor female, speaking across the seas and rivers of time, from centuries, possibly eras, away.

_It is as Fate declared; the Angel of the Night has fallen at the hand of a demon, and the greatest love in the universe has broken two hearts. _

Taiki exchanged a look of shock with Amy. This phenomena was supposed to be scientifically impossible…what were they witnessing?

_With this event, a balance has been upset, and should this be left unchecked, all life will lose faith in its greatest gift. Once faith disappears, all light will be vanquished, and the Abomination will consume this world with his hellfire and hate. What say you, Angel of Death? Will you sacrifice the world for two souls?_

The ground rumbled as if in answer, and the stone floor cracked open. Gray smoke billowed forth, and several of the witnesses coughed, their lungs protesting. The vampires were unperturbed, as they had no need to breathe. The others covered their noses. Finally, a quiet voice, again with no identifiable gender, but less powerful, murmured, _No. The balance must be kept._

The stronger voice, the bringer of the ring of flames, replied. _Release the Angel of the Night._

_ I shall…_The cracks in the ground closed, and disappeared as though they had never been. The ring of flame burned even more brightly.

_Speak, mortal witnesses. You have all heard the command of the Powers. What say you? The balance must be kept. _

Everyone exchanged glances, not sure who was to respond. Finally, Hotaru spoke. "We accept the judgment of the Powers."

_One of you has spoken. What say the rest?_

"The balance must be kept," they chorused.

_ Very well. What has been done shall be undone. What has been injured shall be healed. Hearts shall be mended, and life shall be restored. Heed the Powers, mortals. There will be no second chances._

The flames around Seiya and Serena burned as hot and bright as the sun, and chiming music rose and fell in time with the steadily stronger flames. Once again, the others were forced to shield their eyes, lest they should be blinded. This continued for what seemed like an eternity, and finally, the voice rang out again.

_ It is done._

All at once, the flames were snuffed out. Instead, Seiya and Serena stood hand in hand. Serena was whole and uninjured once again, and Seiya's eyes were free of pain or trouble. His hair flowed down to his waist, as raven-black as ever. Serena was smiling radiantly, and Seiya was equally so. Taiki exchanged a look with Yaten. They were not going to question this. It was best to keep their mouths shut and thank whatever power was responsible for this. The couple stepped forward, still together, and then Serena spoke.

"The war between vampires and werewolves has finally come to a close," she said. "Balance has been restored, and wrongs have been righted."

"Hey, my nose stopped hurting from the smell!" Sean yelped. "I can't smell any vampires!"

"There's a good reason for that," Seiya grinned.

Everyone turned to look at the four vampires who had helped to end the war. All four were bewildered, and clearly surprised by something. Trista's hand flew to her heart, and her eyes widened as she felt the strong, steady beat. Amara's eyes were wide as she looked at Michelle. Hotaru was grinning as she realized what had happened.

"We're human again," Michelle stated in shock.

"Yes. Every step you have taken was towards redemption," Serena said softly. "Even seeking vengeance on Darien, you still fought the instincts and usual behaviors of vampires, and in stopping Darien's evil, you earned your freedom from the chains that bound you. And why am I talking like the cryptic annoying person in a movie?"

"You're an angel, a miracle has just occurred, and so you're responding to the occasion," Seiya reasoned. "It's instinctive."

"I hope I can stop before I have to go to school," Serena giggled.


	36. Epilogue: Happily Ever After

**Epilogue: Happily Ever After**

**Serena: **Finally, it's over!

**Starlily11: **Until they decide to educate you on BSE, that is.

**Serena: **(Blushes)

Seiya opened his eyes to find that it was daylight, and sighed. It was time to get up again. Why did the sun have to rise so early? A soft moan from the form next to him seconded that. He smiled softly and faced her. She was still beautiful, even with her long golden hair messed up and in a state of disarray, her eyes cloudy from sleep. She smiled and snuggled deeply into his chest. His arms wrapped around her, and he softly kissed her forehead. Her fingers ran through his hair, which was loose and tumbling around him.

"Good morning, Odango," he said softly.

"Why do we have to get up?" she asked groggily.

"We _could _stay in bed," he said. "But Mina and Yaten will never forgive us if we miss their wedding."

Serena shuddered at the thought, and started to scramble out of bed. Seiya wrapped his arms more tightly around her. "No need to rush," he told her. "We don't need to be there until four." He glanced at the alarm clock, and promptly swore. It was two in the afternoon. Thank goodness those two had had a summer wedding and that college was out for the summer. They'd slept all day.

Serena looked and let out a screech. Both of them looked horrified. Serena would take about an hour and a half, and Seiya was known for being fussy about his appearance and taking just as long. Both scrambled out of bed and raced for the bathroom. After a furious scuffle, Seiya relented and let Serena go first.

**Two Hours and Thirty Minutes Later**

The couple slipped quietly into the respective rooms reserved for the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Mina was thoroughly annoyed, and Yaten equally so. Fortunately, both had planned for the couple's tendencies to be late. Therefore, they still had enough time to get dressed before the wedding started. A grinning Lita zipped Serena up, and Taiki straightened Seiya's tie while giving him a lecture about lateness. Seiya listened sheepishly, nodding his head at the appropriate intervals, and then completely forgot what his brother said. Serena took Mina's scolding in stride, knowing that her friend was nervous about the big day, and sweetly reassured her friend that she looked like a goddess and that everything would be fine.

Sure enough, the wedding went off without a hitch, and no one but those who were actually part of the processional had any idea that two members of the wedding party had been late. Seiya smiled at his silver-haired brother, silently congratulating him. Then, he smiled at Serena, who returned it by discreetly blowing a kiss. The preacher began to speak, and everyone fell silent, completely focused on the bride and groom. The happy couple said their vows and kissed, and then the reception began.

When Mina threw her bouquet, Serena caught it, and that set off a whole wave of rumors about the bridesmaid and one of the groomsmen with long black hair. Everyone had noticed the way the two looked at each other, and there was some major speculation that the two would be married within a year. Seiya grinned, but said nothing. Serena wondered if he was ever going to pop the question. She wanted to get married, but it wouldn't be appropriate for her to ask him. It wasn't done.

**The Following Week**

Serena sat quietly on the park bench in a flowing, cerulean blue evening dress that brought out her eyes. She looked at Seiya, who was strangely nervous and tongue-tied. He twiddled his thumbs for a few minutes, and Serena smilingly placed a hand over his. He smiled tenderly at her, and handed her a deep red rose that had appeared seemingly from nowhere. She accepted it with a smile, delicately breathing in the sweet scent. Then, Seiya left the bench and knelt in front of her, producing a blue velvet box from his pocket.

He opened it, and said everything he'd wanted to say. "Serena, I love you more than life itself. You mean more to me than anything in this world, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Serena looked at him with a loving smile, and answered, "Yes."

Lovingly, Seiya placed the ring on her finger. It was gold with a sapphire in the middle, surrounded by diamonds. It was elegant, but not ostentatious, and it suited Serena perfectly. The raven-haired man took her hands and smiled up at her. She pulled him to his feet and kissed him. "Yes, I'll marry you," she said again.

In answer, Seiya pressed his lips to hers, and fireworks flashed in their minds.


End file.
